Audacity
by Shadow of cobra
Summary: I grit my teeth as I clutched my tattered shoulder, the physical pain was nothing compared to the mental anguish I was feeling. "Why, Damn-it!" I shuddered as my vision began to blur. "Did we make it so far... Just so it would end like this?" I fell to my knees in weakness, cursing the situation I was in."... I guess you were right... Gray Jack." And then I blacked out.
1. Crapy Prologue

**In my honest opinion I suggest you skip this chapter Reader… Primarily because I think it is the worst chapter throughout the entirety of my story and that it does not represent the story in terms of quality… If you would believe that sort of shit coming from me.**

** Author's notes, I considered making this easy on myself by starting this fan fiction by saying what the fuck would happen if I was…magically transported to the world of Code Geass, and so on so forth. But I figured I'd give it a slight bit more of a push, *fair warning *there are parts of this fan fiction that of which many viewers will not find pleasing, appetizing, or otherwise acceptable. But what the fuck do I care what you think. **

Various obscenities flew through my mind as I imagined the death of Lelouch Vi Britannia. If it wasn't made clear by my silent fuming and foul language, it would've been through my body language, that I was not pleased with the ending of Code Geass season 2. I nearly considered chucking my laptop to its usually assigned position at the side of my nightstand on the floor. However, remembering how expensive that laptop was, I quickly reconsidered and gently placed it down.

_Dammit Lelouch, the entire point of pulling a stunt like Zero Requiem is to make damn sure your supposed death actually benefits the world. What would you have done had everything gone to hell? Oh yeah, that's right, nothing.__**You're dead.**_

I flipped the light switch hanging over my bed, shrouding my blue blankets and self in darkness. I turned to the right to face the wall and waited for my eyes to adjust so I could stare angrily at the blank slate. In case you haven't gathered, what has me in such a foul mood is the ending of Code Geass. I am infinitely upset by the fact that Lelouch decided to commit suicide in order to fix things.

Not only was I upset that my most favorite character was dead, I was also dreading the boredom that was soon to come mainly because I no longer have anything to watch; I had completely absorbed myself into Code Geass and its story. That's not to say there weren't other shows I could enjoy, but I just wasn't interested while upset about this… debacle. My eyes adjusted, but instead of staring at the wall like I had planned, I thought to myself:

_I know for a fact that I could've done things better,_ I smirked inwardly.

_In fact, I think I would enjoy the challenge, as long as I had his Geass_. I pause to think.

_And looks._

But all of those thoughts quickly became irrelevant as a heavy dark oppression known as sleep overtook me.

I had a strange dream that night; I walked into my kitchen at roughly 2 a.m. with the intent to make a past-midnight snack. With the refrigerator door open and my back turned to the rest of the world, all the hairs on the nape of my neck prickled. I had an unyielding feeling I was either being watched or something was about to slit my jugular. I instinctively slid towards the counter and produced a butterfly knife with a smooth flick of my wrist.

What I saw defied all my previous notions of reality: standing before me was what appeared to be the general visage of a human being (albeit 2 feet taller) with dark gray skin, ungodly long arms and fingers, and two purple fist-sized eyes. This entity appeared to wear no clothes, wield no weapons and/or possessions on its person. Also, on a side note, I noticed it had no genitals whatsoever. However, that realization was quickly lost when it kicked the knife out of my hand, then proceeded to grab me by the throat with one of its incredibly long appendages. Unable to muster the intelligence or the air to scream, I settled for making an almost comical attempt of running my feet up its chest in order to flip myself, thereby freeing myself from its grasp. Needless to say, it didn't work. Before I could reach over and grab one of the many kitchen knives that were stationed in several slots and choices of a piece of wood, the being spoke to me; its voice was deep and intricate while refined.

"Your thoughts are interesting to me… Instead of taking your soul, I think I'll grant you a chance to face the challenges you so wonderfully presented yourself in your own mind."

After saying this, the entity dropped me, allowing me to get a breath of air into my lungs, and in turn oxygen to the vital parts of my body including my brain. With the newfound fuel for my most important organ, I quickly came up with a witty remark.

"What the fuck are you talking about!"

The being proceeded to place its face within three inches from my own; its flat, lipless mouth broke into an incredibly broad smile which bore bleach white teeth varying from your standard front teeth of incisors to molars. On another particularly odd side note, I noticed that it had no canine teeth. The skin above the right eye rose as if to signify amusement. It pulled back as if to study me, and then opened its mouth to speak once more.

"No more thoughts, comments, questions and/or concerns; your mind is too analytical… I fear if I'm around you for too long you might learn something that you're not supposed to." It paused in order to clench one of its enormous fists. "I'm sending you to the dimension of Code Geass for my own personal entertainment. You will be allowed to take three personal items with you. Simply think of them, and I'll send them along with you."

My mind hastened to not lose out on this potential gain (or at least minimize a potential loss). My thoughts turned to my butterfly knife that had been kicked from my hand, my personal firearm, and my computer along with its accessories.

"I suppose I'll allow the computer to go along with all its crap; consider it a package deal, I will… Well, off you go."

The entity then revved up its arm from shoulder to bicep, and punched me as hard as it could- well, at least that's what I thought was as hard as it could- right in my forehead. The pain was blinding, which made sense considering I was knocked out instantly.

Despite being unconscious, my mind vaguely went to that past-midnight snack that I had desired. That's right, I had planned to make a sandwich. Damn that gray monstrosity. Little did I know that the absurdities had only begun, and my awakening will only prove to epitomize such.


	2. Geass:Begin the abuse

Audacity chapter 2.

*hey people guess what, I actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep before writing this so I suspect this chapter will be of much higher quality and length. Also a bit of information you might find interesting: I do not type with my hands, I type with a program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It allows me to say the words I wish to have put on paper, and then have those words transferred into text. So if you notice any random out of place words or things like that is probably because I tend to ramble. Despite the fact it can occasionally (once every 100 words or so) be inaccurate, I still find it vastly superior- it took me less than 12 seconds write this paragraph.*

It's an odd feeling waking up with your eyes completely closed; I shifted off of my side onto my back in order to stretch out. As I did this I couldn't help but notice the size of the bed was drastically larger than I was used to. I opened my eyes only to view an unfamiliar ceiling. I sat up slowly and cautiously, surveying the room. There is a desk with a computer on it- charger plugged in the wall connected to said computer. In front of said desk was a chair with a backrest that had two supports going straight up in a heart like fashion before curving into the top.

I turned my head to the right seeing as my bed, scratch that the bed I woke up on, was against the wall on the left side. Directly beside the head of the bed, with about a foot of distance between it, was a dresser with five drawers on it I noticed. Past that was a closet, contents being unknown to me for the time being. Before the closet was a center table with a chess set as well as what appeared to be some sort of rectangular object and a gun.

Immediately my mind went into a sort of protective self-preservation mode. I was prompted to get up and acquire said firearm. As I walked across the floor there were no squeaks, creaks or other noises from it, signifying either a brand-new establishment or a very well made one, possibly both noted as I picked up the firearm. I turned it side to side in an attempt to garner information on what model it was.

"Beretta 92G Elite…" I said as I clicked the magazine release button on the foremost part of the grip next to where the thumb should rest. Ejecting the magazine, I noticed it was loaded, and due to the fact that the safety was on, I automatically assumed there was a round in the chamber. With gun in hand I angled around the table and opened the closet. Inside the closet were several pairs of, I daresay, almost fancy uniforms, gold lining abundant throughout the front end of it.

To the far right end of the closet sat many pairs of black pants, and to the far left of the closet hung an equally abundant group of undershirts- all of which being white.

I knelt down after noticing a drawer at the bottom of the closet; opening it revealed that it was simply empty and devoid of anything I might consider interesting. Standing back up I pushed aside all the garments that were hung inside the closet revealing a mirror. I viewed the reflection of a young man no older than 18, with black hair, sharp features and almost startling purple eyes. Due to the shirt I was wearing, I also noticed that he did not appear to be in particularly good physical health along the lines of muscle mass.

Instead of being startled I couldn't help but feel numb. I knew for a fact my appearance had changed, I was in unfamiliar territory, a unfamiliar room. And the worst of it all… I couldn't remember a single thing, not my name, my age, or even my original appearance.

"Who the fuck am I…" I stumbled back into a previously unnoticed couch. Landing softly I put the gun down on the cushion next to me, place my elbows on my knees and held my head. Trying desperately to acquire useful information, I try to pull every memory I have: all I could remember is the vague image of a tall gray creature spouting some nonsense about me being his entertainment, then of all things punching me.

Okay that's one memory, great only couple billion more to go. Knowledge, basic information, passwords, numbers and education. All of these things I still retained, but for the life of me I could not even begin to imagine where, when or how I had acquired any of this. My right hand inched over to the gun. I felt strangely drawn to it, knowing specifically what calibre it was, how many rounds to a magazine and how many magazines I owned.

" 9 mm, 17 round magazine, recoil operated loading system, and I only have one magazine apparently. " Noticing the odd attraction I had to said firearm I quickly stood back up and attempt to find more objects that I was attracted to and might garner information and memories from. Looking at the table that had given me the firearm, I moved over to in one step to pick up the rectangular object. While holding it the object unfolded, revealing in fact it was a butterfly knife.

Looking at both sides of the blade I noticed that it said '440 stainless steel, made in USA'… those three letters, all capitalized, threatened to bring back a flood of memories. I didn't shirk away even when my head started to hurt thinking about it. No, in fact I implored it to go further. After almost 2 minutes of enduring the painful thought process I gave up temporarily to continue my search about the room. I opened all four drawers in the dresser near the bed starting from the bottom up.

Bottom drawer: nothing but socks and underwear. Next-door up: a series of personal clothes clearly not like the monotonous almost fancy type uniforms in the closet. I admitted I like the taste in them better, but it appeared the uniforms were worn more frequently due to the fact that there were more of them.

Third drawer: a series of white and black undershirts consisting of mostly tank tops. Fourth drawer: ordinary blue jeans, about 10 pairs accounted in all.

Second drawer: some gloves, an old baseball cap, and a folded piece of leather I determined was a wallet. Picking up the wallet I unfolded it, eyes immediately going to the ID card. The picture was an exact replica of the face I saw in the mirror

The face I currently wear… I noted dryly. I then read 'Lelouch Lamperouge, age 17, eye color purple, height 5 10 ½", weight 120 pounds'. The rest of the information on the card were just numbers signifying area codes or the dates when the card was given and will expire. However there was one bit of information on the card that I completely did not understand but sounded very familiar

"KMF class D license" I shrugged .

"Whatever the fuck that is." Holding the wallet in the same hand of those holding the gun I strolled over to the desk, opening all the drawers but only finding school supplies paper another such office-like paraphernalia. I pulled the chair out and sat, placing the firearm and the wallet down next to each other to my right.

I opened the computer, the power appeared to be on… then my suspicions were quickly proven true as it only took a brief moment after the screen was shown to the world for to flash of quick blue to appear, prompting me to enter a password. I typed in 'password' being the complete dumbass I am when it comes to these types of things- I actually expected it to work for a brief moment. I was quickly disappointed when it said wrong password and prompted me again. I then ventured another password,

"…" it was the wrong password.

"Fuck!... I'm out of ideas." using the touchpad on the laptop I scrolled the mouse down to click on the 'forgot your password' section. It then provided me with a hint, 'second favorite fictional character'. And like a brick that was super glued to three more bricks, it hit me. The image of a man in a black trench coat, and a white mask with a purple lightning bolt down the right eye. I smiled and said out loud while I typed

"Li Shengshun… " The screen lit up to a desktop that I immediately recognized as a Windows 7 format. There were several shortcuts, many of which were to folders, but what I found most intriguing was the background image, that of which, much like the ID card in the wallet, held an exact duplicate of my current body, thin arm outstretched clutching the air as if he was holding the world, left eye alight with birdlike Sigel.

My left hand drifted up to my left eye as I felt the area around it and thought how strange it was that his eye was alight with red, scratch that my eye apparently. As I thought about what this might be, I felt an odd clicking like sensation in my left eye. I stared at the screen, shifting the focus of my eyes so I could use it almost as a mirror- there was a red glow. Despite the fact it was faint, it was still noticeable.

Another memory forced its way into my mind.

"Geass… The power of the king's." I slammed my fist on the desk in frustration, in agony, and in confusion.

"WHAT the FUCK IS HAPPENING!" I screamed upwards into the air, not expecting an answer. My heart, racing from frustration and the rush of screaming along with my fist still aching from the impact, was quickly calmed by the fact I still didn't know enough to conclude this is necessarily a bad situation. Taking several deep breaths I attempted to compose myself and succeeded for the most part.

I clicked through the computer, searching every bit of its contents I could get my hands on, figuratively of course. I managed to find the user profile and login page, I noticed the name on it was Christopher Matthews .

"Now what would someone else's computer be doing in the supposed Lelouch Lamperouge's room." Putting that question off the time being, I continued to shift through the folders both on the desktop and in the inner files. I stumbled across the media section, opening it up there were a few folders labeled as, videos, pictures, music. I double-clicked the pictures hoping to find some information on the original owner of the computer.

Opening the file proved to be useless as it turned out to be completely empty; shifting over to the videos I double-clicked that folder as well. Inside was apparently only one file, the date on the file was 10/15/10. Clicking the video file Windows media player immediately came up and produced a video that began playing automatically.

What the screen showed me was intriguing, a young man sitting in a wooden revolving chair, with brown hair, Green eyes, and wide shoulders. Young man fiddled with the keyboard and touchpad for a while. From the view of the camera I determined that the video was being taken by the Webcam more than likely on this very same computer, the young man proceeded to lean in close towards the camera and tap it several times while saying.

"Testing testing 123… this computer is so sweet, it has all the qualifications and specifications I require." The young man said while smiling slyly. The video abruptly ended, not surprising seeing as it was only a test of the computers Webcam. This information however was not enough to satisfy me. I grew more and more frustrated as I found out this computer apparently was rather new and held very little personal information.

I closed the laptop gently and sighed in resignation. Standing up, but leaving the firearm on the desk, I now looked down at myself realizing I was wearing pajamas and might as well change into something else. Seeing as I was this Lelouch person, physically at least, I might as well change into something that he would wear, if not to just get out of my pajamas.

Strolling back over to the closet I had previously raided (and failed to close I noticed with a slight bit of irritation), I dressed myself using the three main articles of clothing that were present in the closet. Struggling with some of the buttons for the jacket part of the outfit, I looked up and into the mirror. The red glow on my left eye was very noticeable to me.

"Absolute obedience…" there it is again, information without memories. Maybe I have some sort of short or long term memory problem that causes me to forget who I am and where I am for long or short periods of time? No no, if that were the case myself or someone else would have prepared for that inevitability and left something here that would've told me who I am, instead of forcing me to ransack the room for information.

A defeated sigh left my lips as I reached over and replaced the hangers to their original position in the closet, despite their emptied state, then actually shutting the closet this time. Checking to make sure I was smart enough to close the drawers, I proceeded back to the desk, picking up the firearm and placing it inside the ever so convenient chest pocket of the jacket part of the uniform.

I certainly like that part of this outfit…I thought absently as I double checked to make sure it was secure and would not fall out. Grabbing the wallet, my wallet now that I think about it, I flipped through it one last time, quickly making sure I didn't miss anything. Other than two credit cards and some sort of passkey, along with $200 it provided no more information. I smiled almost evilly.

Money and information shouldn't be too much problem with this power of mine, although I don't know the restrictions precisely I'm sure I can find them out with a few field tests.

Slipping on and tying off the shoes I found at the foot of the bed, I proceeded towards one of the two doors in the room. My hand hesitated over the lever, the unknown awaiting me behind the door made me want to simply turn around and lay back down in the bed, hoping to wake up proving that this is in fact just a nightmare. With such an option being incredibly unlikely, even more so than my current predicament, I opened the door and walked out straight into a bathroom. The corner of my mouth twitched slightly.

"To think I was afraid of walking into my own bathroom…" Now walking to the other side the room, I opened the other door to find a hallway. I walked down the hallway made of almost ornate hardwood flooring lined with white molding and white walls similar to the ones in the room I had just left. I came into a dining room area. Walking into both unannounced and shamelessly I noticed a young girl in a large wheelchair whose eyes were closed and whose hair was a sandy blond color.

"Oh hello big brother, I almost didn't hear you come in. Will you be having breakfast with me this morning?" the young girl asked in an almost hopeful tone. I froze completely, at a loss of what to say or what to do: this girl clearly knew the original owner of this body personally. It then hit me, she said big brother meaning we're related. Obviously realizing this is a situation that was currently too dangerous for my circle of knowledge to handle, I opted for a way out.

"Sorry no… I have some stuff I need to make up for elsewhere." The vagueness of this excuse/lie left it so wide open I hoped she would interpret it with something the original owner of this body would need to do normally. The girl smiled gently.

"Someone finally caught you skipping class didn't they?" taking the hint and the way out, I quickly recovered and produced a coherent and hopefully believable response.

"yeah I got to make up for some of it early in the morning…" trailing off, trying not to say any more than necessary, knowing that it might punch holes in my excuse/lie.

"Then you better get to it, it'd be nice to know my big brother is taking his studies more seriously." Her words placed with kindness the likes of which I've never seen before.

"Of course." Was my only response as I quickly made my way out of the room to continue down the hall in an attempt to find an exit.

Okay I have acquired more information; I apparently have a sibling and attend classes somewhere. Only I need to find out where these classes are, then maybe pull up personal records on myself. That shouldn't be too hard as long as I Geass everyone I see and pump them for information. But before I do that, I need to find some less than willing test subjects… I need to know the specs of this… power. I should start out with how many times I can use it on the same person, then find out if multiple commands can be issued at the same time. Then I should find out how complex I can make these commands and have them still work.

But I'm going to have to wait and see how long this power lasts once cast upon an individual. Then again, who's to say it can't be used on more than one person at the exact same time… This is probably going to try my patience.

I managed to reach a large double door at the bottom of staircase, swinging outwards as I walked through them. The light blinded me for a brief moment so I squinted and put my hand in front of my face. Walking up the steps towards the doors I just exited through was a rather curvaceous blonde who took note of me, waved, then said cheerfully.

"Morning Lelouch." I hesitated briefly knowing that this was probably the best time to begin the test of my power. Taking note that it was still on, and that I should probably find a way to turn it off at will, I sighed and started with the bluntest and foremost charging method I could think of.

{"Obey me."} I said as the power flew between me into her. Her shoulders seized up and she abruptly stopped walking. Is that a good sign? I thought slightly worried. "Come here and stand directly in front of me." I ordered. Woman complied accomplishing the task almost robotically.

The best way to confirm that she's completely under my control would be…I blushed but smiled at the certainty of the results it would produce. Hoping to God that the power was working as I thought it was so I would not be slapped, I proceeded to say "flash me…" Cringing inwardly as the words left my mouth.

{"understood"} the woman said with a flat tone as she reached down with both hands to lift her skirt revealing black laced panties covering her very appealing private areas. My blush intensified regardless of my wicked grin.

"Enough" she complied by dropping her skirt. "Tell me everything you know about me." Little did I know that the conversation to follow would last well over an hour. For it revealed more information than I could've ever imagined.


	3. Geass:Solidify the abuse

Audacity Chapter 3

**I've been doing nothing but thinking about this chapter all day, as a result I expect it to be far more fluent than previous chapters. Also prepare yourself for the introduction of the remainder of the characters who are on the student counsel. *WARNING I do intend for there to be lemons in this story, and if this is a no-no for you, I apologize because I believe they will be a rather pivotal part of the story* You can honestly expect my character to abuse his Geass in not only unique but also cliché ways**

I sat across from a Geassed Milly in the Student Council room. I have learned a great deal from this girl; as it turned out she had more knowledge than I had previously anticipated: particularly her circle of knowledge pertaining to the alias, 'Lelouch Lamperouge,' and my actual heritage, 'Lelouch Vi Britannia.' I accepted the fact that the identity in my back pocket was fabricated, because of that I now had a solid identity. I opted to move on to a more in-depth history of the country to which I'm a prince of- scratch that- ex-prince.

"Tell me about this country: 'Britannia'," I ordered. Her dull gaze shifted towards me in recognition.

"Britannia… a monarchy led by Charles Zi Britannia… an empire that started out by-" I cut her off with a wave of my hand.

"I'm not interested in the archaic history; just tell me things I'll need to know in order to understand the country that I live in. You've already stated their government system, so next tell me about their military might, etiquettes and procedures." Milly nodded slightly and continued the lesson.

"Britannia controls over one-third of the planet's land mass and population; their militaries are praised by their own as being the most efficient fighting force on the planet along with having the most advanced knightmare frames in production; The sheer size of the army makes it so-"

"Stop," I stated plainly. "What is a knightmare?"

"Knightmare…also known as humanoid autonomous armored Knight, abbreviated as KMF."

_So this body has learned how to pilot these .. Knightmares. Class D piloting license, whatever that means._

"They stand several meters tall, weigh many tons, and have large automatic weapons."

_It would appear Ms. Ashford's knowledge of this weapon does not get technical… Time to move on then._

"Tell me about the student council. I already know that both you and I are in it, but I would like a more formal knowledge of the remaining members. Also, please tell me my class sche-" I was interrupted by the door being flung open and a blue haired boy waltzing in, followed by an orange haired woman with a figure that could rival Milly's. And shortly afterward, a brown haired young lady arrived, who was short in stature and appeared to be equally short in confidence, judging by how she held her book bag over her chest in an almost protective manner.

_Shit,_ I thought_. Are these the remaining members of the Council?_

I was unable to finish my mental inquiry because the redhead immediately spouted some nonsense at me.

"Lulu! You're here early." She said cheerfully while she wagged her finger at me, "did the Prez have to drag you here this morning to make sure you'd actually attend?"

"More than likely. You know how Lelouch is, Shirley," the blue hair boy chimed in with a friendly tone.

_Shit, they might notice that Milly is acting differently; I have to get her to act like her normal self again. The command was for her to obey me, so if I order her to act like her usual self until I give her another order, I think things should stay up north._

I quickly got up and leaned over to the subdued president and whispered.

"Act as your usual self until further notice."

Shortly after I did this, she blinked her eyes several times as if to clear her head. She then looked up at me, noticing how close we are.

Her only response was. "What?"

The blue haired boy, who I believed would become a nuisance, slid over next to Milly.

"What's up, Lelouch got a secret?" He coupled with a mischievous grin, "care to share it?"

I smirked; if only he had an idea of the secret I currently held within me. Not even I fully understood it.

"What on earth makes you think I'll give it up." I said smiling almost arrogantly. The boy then crouched down playfully as if he was about to pounce on me. My body perceived that as the signal to let instincts take control.

"I guess I'll just force it out of you!" He shouted as he jumped at me. Despite his words having nothing but a playful meaning behind them, I couldn't help but move into a defensive stance and grab him by his left arm as he attempted to pounce on me. I twisted the appendage behind his back while rotating my own body and forced him against the wall, taking full notice of my lack of physical strength. Nonetheless, with him in a hold of this nature, he would have no choice but to comply with whatever movements I made.

"I think not…" I trailed off smugly. The blue haired boy attempted to break my hold, and as a result I applied more pressure to his elbow joint towards the wrong direction.

"OW, OW! OKAY! I give." He said in defeat. Acknowledging his surrender, I released him and backed up several steps.

"Geez man, when did you become a ninja?" Said the girl, who I believed was named Shirley , and Milly began laughing. Even the blue haired boy laughed at himself. I allowed myself a short smile before thinking.

_Good, she appears to be back to her cheerful self, not that I know too much about her actual character._

"So Rivalz…" Milly started. "If you're done being beaten up by Lelouch, could you hand me those budget printouts I asked you to make yesterday?" The boy Rivalz walked over to his previously discarded bag and produced a stack of papers that was surprisingly thick.

"Here ya go Prez." Rivalz said almost enthusiastically as he offered the papers to Milly. She then produced a small sly smile that could almost be misinterpreted as seductive.

"I'm not going to do all that. Pass it out evenly." Rivalz nodded and sectioned out a few of the papers to give to Milly. After handing a few to her, he turned and counted out some to hand to Shirley, who had moved in closer to receive her share.

_I'm not that fond of paperwork to begin with, and if it is supposed to be the budget for the student Council, I certainly can't do it. Not with my limited circle of knowledge at the moment._

I noticed the door was still slightly open. I quickly made my way towards it and slipped through the frame, returning it to the same slightly closed position after I reached the other side. I then proceeded to make a dash down the hallway towards the double doors I attempted to walk through earlier. Successfully making it to and through the doors, I continued to walk into what appeared to be a courtyard.

_I need to find a computer, preferably on this campus that is connected to the Internet. Using that, I can gather more information not only about myself, but about the layout of this campus and possibly my classes._

I strolled through the courtyard and happened upon a young man sitting on one of the many benches lining the sidewalk. He had blonde hair, and somewhat of medium stature and height. He was reading a book with an English title, though I didn't waste my time reading it.

"Excuse me?" I asked bringing him up from his literature.

"Hmm? Yes?" he asked politely, not quite understanding the situation.

{" Throw your book as far as you possibly can, and in 30 seconds from now forget I ever spoke to you."}

_This test will determine not only how many times I can use Geass on a subject, but also if the subject is able to understand and count time while under the influence of my Geass and while performing an action at the same time._

I smiled at my ability to kill many birds with one stone, or in this case, Geass. The blonde haired boy stood, closed his book, and pulled back his arm and shoulder with the book in hand, he hurled it with all the strength he could muster across the courtyard. The dull looking red rims removed to themselves from his eyes quickly afterward.

"Hey, what's going on?" With my power still activated, I made another attempt at commanding.

"Can you {do a handstand}? I'm trying to learn how to do one myself." The young man smiled awkwardly.

"No, sorry. I can't. I don't know how to do one myself…"

Giving no further sign of continuing the conversation, I walked off towards the main body of what I assumed was the school. I didn't worry about the boy per my original Geass command; he should forget me very quickly.

_It would appear this power can only be used once per person… I just have to make it count. I suppose making everyone follow the command 'obey me' will be sufficient as long as every time I'm done giving the Commands, l just order them to go back to the way they were before. Once they're done accomplishing what I asked them to do, of course._

Despite after finding what many would consider a serious limitation upon my power, I grinned evilly. I only needed to use it once per person to stay permanent… hopefully. I would have to wait and see how long my Geass command on Milly lasted, or for that matter, if it was still in effect.

_Shit, I almost forgot. I need to find a way to turn this off; that way I don't accidentally use it on someone in casual conversation._

I smirked while thinking of me accidentally telling someone to go jump in a ditch, or go kill themselves and them actually doing it. What did I do to activate it the first time around? …oh right, all I did was think about it.

I focused on my left eye again as if searching for some sort of hidden muscle, taking only a few brief seconds to find something out of place. I found a synopsis to my brain that wasn't in my right eye; I tugged on it mentally and I could almost feel the power dissipate. I walked up to one of the many windows in order to view my reflection. I saw myself- better yet, what I had to force to believe was myself. I continued to stare at the mirror. As I did this, a thought occurred to me.

_Let's see how fast I can turn it on._

It didn't even take a second. Once I thought about turning my Geass on and actually committed to the feeling. Pausing for a brief moment to think over the specs of my weapon once more, I realized that I needed eye contact in order to cast my Geass, but I also needed them to hear what I say. That would mean there might be limited range which I would need for my contact to be relevant.

_But since I only need eye contact… wouldn't that mean I can use it on myself while looking in a mirror or other refracting surface? Would it be possible to force myself to remember? Considering this power obviously affects the mind directly?_

I determined I would use myself as a guinea pig later on. I needed to find out who ran the establishment and bend him to my will. I made my way into the main body of the school, walking along until I found an open classroom. I noticed that the classrooms had no numerical or alphabetizing format of any kind. The residence was simply stated by the subject of which the classroom was based around and the name of the instructor. I walked into the open classroom and noticed the teacher sitting at a desk.

_Perfect, someone with both knowledge of the layout and other staff members._ I walked up to the front of the desk in order to acquire the teacher's attention. The teacher, whose name I discovered was Vincent Smith, turned away from his computer to look up at me.

"May I help you," he asked, as if expecting something trivial to be asked of him. After being certain that I had at least had partial eye contact with him, I activated my Geass.

{" Obey me"} Once again, it was my incredibly simplistic but all-powerful command. Mr. Smith's features went slack, as I had come to expect. He then nodded slightly in confirmation.

"Good…" I started, "now take me to the man in charge of this school. Once we're there, you may return to your classroom and continue your business as usual until I present you with another order." Once again, Smith nodded signifying that the command had been accepted and understood. "Oh, and also, who is in charge: what is the name?" I asked this just for the sake of information.

{"Ruben Ashford."} He replied in a plain as gray tone. Smith then proceeded to stand, and I followed. He led me through a series of hallways until eventually the student body which populated the hallways became more and more sparse. He stopped at a large, intricate and fashionably carved wooden door. On a side note, it appeared to be made of stained oak.

"We are done here Mr. Smith. You may return back to your standard activities until further notice." I waved him off not really caring what happened to him next, as long as he didn't drag me down into trouble or something. I opened the door as if I owned them, walked in, and closed it behind me.

"Excuse me Mr. Ashford, Sir?" I started out being calm and cautious. For all I knew, this guy might be wearing sunglasses indoors, and I feared that might interfere with my Geass. What I saw was an old man whose hair was a carbon copy of Milly's aside from the length of course. He appeared to be working on a piece of stationery with an archaic-looking fountain pen. In his wrinkled features, he looked up to meet my younger, sharper ones. It was clear to me that this man often had quite a bit of stress on his mind, yet still managed to maintain a set of healthy laugh lines. He wore no sunglasses, which I did not find surprising, considering how absurd the worry had previously been.

"Mr. Lamperouge." He smiled genuinely. "What can I do for you today? Oh, and how is Nunnally doing?" I then remembered what Milly had told me while under the Geass I had cast upon her. Even knowing full well this man was of both honorable intent and dignified stature, while still being a caring, loving, and cheerful human being, it almost made me feel bad for Geassing him.

"Oh, Nunnally is just fine. In fact, she seemed quite lively this morning. And as for what I came here for, I need you to {obey me}." Apparently 'almost' wasn't good enough to stop me. I froze for a brief moment.

_Why the fuck did I do this again? I mean, sure it's great to have the leader of this establishment in my back pocket so to speak, but my profile and permanent record are rather useless considering they are fabricated… I guess I'm just covering my bases. I'll just have to find out what happened to my memory using some other means._

I decided to have another go at pilfering information from my computer- correction, Christopher Matthews's computer. But that would have to wait until I got back to what I had recently learned was my place of residence. Just then I had a beyond-evil, borderline sadistic thought. Had I actually had a morality, conscience, sense of chivalry, or self-respect, I might not have done this. However, none of those things were in my possession at that point in time.

"Mr. Ashford…" His Geassed attention was on me. "I wish for you to print out the pictures, names, contact information, class schedules, and overall whereabouts of the top 10 most beautiful and/or attractive female students in this Academy."

{"Understood, if you'll please wait a moment I'll have it for you in a minute or two."} I was a little surprised that had been the most drawn-out response I had ever received without directly asking a question.

_I suppose the responses and confirmations to my orders will differ depending on the person's social class and vocabulary…_

This made sense to me in my mind's eye. After all, if I could believe my Geass was working (which it was), I could believe something as personalized as that would coincide to a person's mindset. My mind couldn't help but be drawn back to the computer sitting on… my desk back in my dorm room. The name on the profile was Christopher Matthews; therefore, the owner of the computer must be that same person, meaning that that person on the video was the original owner. I couldn't help but feel like I knew the original owner in more depth than anyone else…

_It might actually correlate directly with my memory loss… that settles it, when I get back to the dorm I'm going to attempt to Geass my memories back into myself._

I couldn't help but wonder what might happen if I gave the command 'obey me' to myself. I quickly decided against it on account of it might force me to become a slave to quick thoughts and/or impulses. I decided I would stick to questions.

_Wait… After I told Mr. Smith to return to his everyday habits, I didn't tell him act normal… That means he is operating as if I never Geassed him, but still remembers me Geassing him? That could cause some problems if I need to interact with him or others like him normally. Nothing brings up questions like "hey buddy what was up with you randomly telling me to obey you earlier,"or something like that._

Being the paranoid bastard that I was, I decided to do a quick touch and go by his classroom in order to confirm it, and if necessary, remedy the situation. I was prevented from thinking about anything Mr. Smith-related for a brief moment as I was interrupted by Mr. Ashford who stood before me presenting to me a piece of paper. I took it and noticed it was still warm from the printer.

{"Here you are Mr. Lamperouge, just as you requested."} Ruben Ashford then proceeded to walk back to his desk and continue whatever he was writing on. I looked at the piece of paper in my hand and immediately recognized some of the faces, which I found amusing considering the state of my memory.

There was no numbering system. Surprisingly amongst the ten I picked up some familiar people; Milly Ashford as well as Shirley, who apparently had the last name Fenette. The rest of the faces and names I did not recognize, which didn't startle me.

"Thank you, I'll be leaving now. You may continue on as usual until I give further notice." I paused.

"Also, forget this ever happened." Much like the others, Ruben simply nodded in confirmation as I left through the large oak door, shutting it less than quietly. I ambled my way back towards Mr. Smith's classroom, guiding myself with memory alone which, despite the fact that I put very little faith in it, proved to turn out just fine. However, I was presented with another obstacle once I reached the still open door of Mr. Vincent Smith, who on a side note was a physics teacher. The classroom was now full of students who appeared to be diligently working, or slacking off in some cases (not that I blamed them).

_Great, how should I play this? I can't just walk in there; that would cause a lot of unnecessary attention. And the last thing I want is someone to recognizing me and start trying to pull up a conversation…_

I looked to the piece of paper in my hand and felt the quick spark of an idea forming. I then stood there for a moment feeding that spark into a full-blown flame. When said flame had become strong enough to withstand the unknowing wind known as obstacles, I proceeded with it. I leaned in on the doorframe, knocking several times loudly to get his attention. Unfortunately, I also acquired the attention of the vast majority of the class… well, those who weren't sleeping.

"May I help you Mr.…" My eyes flashed a dangerous type of glee as I realized he didn't know who I was. Despite the fact I had just then proved to myself the memory altering effects of my Geass, I still needed to follow through with the rest of my operation in order to not look like an idiot.

"Lamperouge." I stated."I have some information here from Mr. Ashford that I need to bring to your attention… In private, if you please." Smith stood up with a slightly worried expression but quickly replied with.

"Sure…" He walked over past the doorframe as I stood 3 or 4 feet away from the open door. Just to double check and confirm my already confirmed suspicion, I asked.

"Do you remember me coming in earlier this morning?" Mr. Smith shook his head obediently. Perfect,I thought. Not bothering to activate my Geass again, I gave another order.

"Wait until I am out of sight then return to your classroom and act as if I never came by… This I order you." I added that last part on just to be thorough. I watched with slight anticipation of his next actions.

{"Understood."} Once again, his flat reply confirmed. I walked away smiling happily for I now knew both the specs of my weapon and where to begin the search for my memories in depth. Or it could have been the list of soon-to-be playthings, if not both. On a side note, I realized I should've added the cup size for the listed girls as well…

"Guess I'll be having a few more surprises… but I should sleep on it before I do anything." I said aloud not caring if anyone heard or understood my illegitimate intent. Truly, I was a terrible human being, but that wouldn't stop me. In fact, it would only ease the affects that the abuse of my Geass had on my conscience… if any.


	4. Geass:Adorable abuse

Audacity Chapter 4

*I have sent out a few requests for beta readers; however I am in desperate need of more… If for whatever reason you find yourself coming back to this fan fiction you might notice dozens of grammatical fixes and a few sentences that were reconstructed. So far that is only myself editing my crap. However if anyone would like to come forth and beta read for me they would speed up the already rather quick updates I put in.*

The next day after some great sleep, I stared at the mirror in the opened closet, wondering again whether or not to simply give myself the order to 'obey myself', or to simply dive into my memories. Regardless of what I was going to do, I was reluctant to alter my mind.

_Just one fucked up word and I could accidentally kill myself… Or make myself a vegetable._

I shook my head, clearing myself of these thoughts. I needed answers, and I needed them now. I had set up the computer to record everything because, according to my field tests, I shouldn't remember anything before and during the hypnosis of my own Geass. Double checking to make sure the recording light was still on, I turned back to the mirror and flicked my Geass to life.

{"Remember all your lost memories!"}

I couldn't help but shout the command at myself, hoping it would increase the chances of success. I seized up for a brief moment, unable to take control of my facilities to look away. To be completely honest, I don't remember anything after that until I came to. I found it incredibly unusual as I was sprawled out on the mattress, and there was a lingering scent of burnt flesh in the air.

"What the hell happened? And why don't I remember anything new?" I asked while rubbing my throat, which for some unbeknownst reason felt incredibly sore.

I stood up slowly and walked over to the computer, making sure to click the 'stop recording' button. I then scrolled over to the 'videos' folder where I had arranged for the file to be saved to. I clicked on the video and, once again, Windows Media Player automatically opened itself and began playing. It started out with my command and, noticing the part where my features went slack, I couldn't help but tense up with anticipation for the answers I would get.

In the video I do nothing of interest; my eyes angled slightly towards the ground in an almost submissive posturing. What happened next could easily be described as a cluster fuck. The screen flashed white as if someone pulled the pin of a flash bang and tossed it in. Immediately preceding that was a long gray arm with spindly fingers wrapping around my throat.

"What?" was all I could whisper as the arm slowly showed what it was connected to. The main body of the owner pushed my Geassed self into the dresser. The 'thing' was the only word I could name it; it was tall and gray, complete with a bald head and two enormous eyeballs. The being pushed with more force causing the dresser behind me to rattle. Then, out of all the unforeseeable things it could've done… it spoke.

"Can't have you ruining the fun… I guess I'll have to keep a closer eye on you. That way you don't accidentally get everything back unless I so choose to give it to you…"

It made an almost dispassionate grunt as it thrusted me onto my bed and the video flashed white once more. And just like that, as abruptly and impossibly as it had made its entrance, it exited. Completely gone from sight. As I cautiously looked around the room, reaching for the gun in my chest pocket, I double checked that it was no longer in the room. I even went as far as to check the bathroom, however doing so very slowly and carefully with a healthy amount of fear.

_Okay, think me, obviously whatever the hell just happened is completely unexplainable. So we either roll with it, or blow our own brains out. I'm not fond of pissing off the supernatural, but it would appear as if it doesn't want me to regain my memories. What if it wanted to kill me in order to stop me from doing that? No, that's not the case; it had a perfect opportunity to do so right then and there. It obviously wants me to live for one reason or another. So for now, it's not a threat, just an obstacle… A creepy, fucked up supernatural obstacle…_ I thought, shivering in fear.

Despite the recent supernatural visit from God-knows-what, I continued to inspect the computer both on a digital scale, and then on an aesthetic scale (for the first time) to find any distinguishable markings, titles of ownership, or other similar things. My finger slipped across the 'disc release' button on the right side of the laptop. It quickly clicked open after pressing it, revealing a disk inside. It appeared to be an ordinary gray CD; the only distinguishable marks on it were some sharpie writings which had particularly strong interest towards me: Code Geass All Episodes/Dubbed. I quickly popped the disc back in, shut the tray, and waited for it to automatically start up. A prompt popped up asking me what I wanted to do with the CD/removable storage device. I clicked on 'open folder' to view the files. What I saw was a long list of videos, so naturally I started with the first one.

"Finally, a break."

I silently watched in amazement as what could only be identified as this body went gambling with the blue haired boy, Rivalz. Farther into the video, they were nearly smashed by a truck on the highway. This body was stupid enough to attempt getting inside the truck after it crashed. I watched as he was being kicked by assumedly a Brittanian soldier. Then the large megadeath-looking capsule opened to reveal, not poison gas, but a green haired woman. The girl later somehow gave this body its Geass after getting shot in the head. I then watched as the newly-acknowledge me killed an entire firing squad of Britannian soldiers with the same Geass I own. The episode ended abruptly. I almost panicked as I quickly returned to the folder to click on the next video.

"This is perfect! All the information that I've been missing!" I laughed hysterically.

I watched as I stole a Sutherland from a Britannian pilot, proceeded to lead rebels to victory, infiltrated the command center of Viceroy Clovis, accordingly forced him to call a cease-fire, asked him some trivial question about who killed my mother, and despite the fact I asked while using my Geass he didn't come forth with much information other than I should ask someone called Princess Cornelia and Prince Schneizel. Apparently, I was very dissatisfied with information because I then killed him. A knock on my door quickly caused me to close the laptop and reach for my gun.

"Who is it?" I asked apprehensively. Whoever was behind the door only took a brief moment to reply.

"It's me, Milly… Is everything all right, you've been acting strange lately."

I considered what to do with her.

_I could just send her away; this shit desperately needs to be watched. Or I could…_

A wicked smile formed on my lips as I once again transformed my mentality into the terrible bastard that I really was.

"No actually, come on in. I want to talk to you."

She opened the door and came in quickly shut it behind her.

"Go ahead and sit down."

She complied by sitting down on the corner of my bed as I adjusted my chair roughly four feet away from her. I couldn't help but smile. One word and I could completely control this woman… And I had full intentions to.

"Milly," I started, "have you had any strange lapses in memory recently?"

Her eyes widened quite a bit, confirming that she had no idea about my questioning earlier, and was unaware of how she got into the Student Council room before the meeting commenced.

"Yeah, I have." She'd nodded as she spoke.

"I see, and what if I told you that this is further notice: continue following my orders."

I was pleased to see her return to her Geassed state.

"Wonderful." I said darkly. "Now what do you suggest, I need some stress relief here."

She stayed silent and unmoving, more than likely not entirely understanding the question. I frowned and grit my teeth. "Bitch, I asked a question and I expect an answer even if it's half assed."

{"I don't know."}Was her only response

"Don't worry, I can fix that." I spread my knees wide and leaned back in my chair some. "Now get on your knees and sit directly in front of me."

She stood and complied deftly, kneeling between my legs.

"Now… Pull out my dick and give me a blow job." Although it was a simple two-step process, it seemed incredibly sexy due to how slow and deliberate she was with undoing my belt, unzipping my pants, and pulling them down just enough to have access to my boxers.

She pulled on my pants a little more and then moved the boxers completely out of the way, slowly curving her slim fingers around my member. She proceeded to jerk it a few times, but stopped to take the head of my still-mostly soft dick into her mouth. I leaned my head back in satisfaction as she played with it in her mouth until it was completely hard. The warm sensation of the inside of her mouth was unbelievable; the texture and feeling of the roof of her mouth, combined with the bottom movements of her tongue, was a recipe for a quick shot.

"Swirl your tongue around it as well," I commanded while still having my head completely leaned back and eyes closed. She silently complied by swirling her tongue around as quickly as she could. The feeling sent dozens of pleasurable spikes throughout my entire body as she continued both her tongue ministration and the moving up-and-down motion.

"Faster," I said while bringing my head back to its natural state. I reached my arms up and placed both my hands on the back of her head and began forcing her down. All the way down, which I found impressive because this body had a member size of at least 7 inches. She quickly picked up the pace to match with my thrusting and pulling.

"Look up into my eyes," I said while thrusting particularly hard. Despite the fact that there were dull red rims around her blue eyes, they were still shockingly attractive as she bobbed up and down fiercely, taking it down all the way about two or three times per second. This, all the while maintaining eye contact with me, sent me over the edge as I reached my climax.

"Swallow it all," I said in a strained voice while grunting. Less than 2 seconds later, I ejaculated an enormous amount towards the back of her throat, thrusting as well as forcing her nose all the way down to the point her nose touched my pubic hair. The discharge of well-over two ounces of fluid finally elicited a gag reflex from her. But she powered through it, swallowing all the way, not spilling any whatsoever. I grinned in satisfaction after removing myself from her mouth.

She gasped in several times after finally being able to breathe unobstructed, consuming as much air as possible to make up for all the lost opportunities to breathe. I stood and began to take off my jacket, unbuttoning it in several places.

"Lay down on the bed over there," I commanded to the still gasping Milly. I took my jacket completely off and aimed to throw it onto my desk. The jacket fluttered through the air, the heaviest object inside the pockets leading the charge as the rest of the fabric billowed around it. The resounding and earsplitting crack that came after it hit the desk severely startled me.

"What the fuck?" I question as I walked over to my jacket and immediately smelled gunpowder…

I paled and quickly rifled through the jacket and withdrew the firearm within the breast pocket. Noticing the barrel was still smoking, I looked for the bullet entry and then wherever it may have gone. Peering over to one of the walls, I saw nothing, and the opposite wall proved similar results. I then slowly and horridly checked around the desk area noticing a black hole inside of the computer that was previously not there.

On the side, point-blank in the middle of the disc tray, the hole stared back almost mockingly… I quickly made flustered movements to open the computer and press the power button. I was rewarded by a quick spark and the screen refusing to light up. I quickly withdrew the butterfly knife from my pocket and jammed it into the disc tray like a crowbar to force it open. All that fell out of the tray was shattered pieces of plastic, some belonging to the CD, some belonging to the computer. Other metal components also littered the ground where I dumped it out.

"FUCK!"I screamed at the top of my lungs and in absolute and unrestricted fury. Knife still in hand I looked for an object to take out my frustrations on. I turned to the computer and began to repeatedly stab it over and over again with every ounce of strength my frail body had while crying.

"FUCK, FUCK, SON OF A BITCH, GAHHHHHHH!" I screamed out one last time; my body was physically spent for the time being. I replaced my jacket onto its original position on myself, being mindful to eject the magazine and round in the chamber of the firearm, replace the round into the magazine, and close it up again to avoid further mishaps. The bullet had apparently flown right out of the pocket, completely avoiding any tearing of the fabric at all. Not that I counted that among my blessings.

All that information, a seemingly impossible treasure trove of everything I needed to know…irreversibly destroyed by my stupidity and the firearm's discharge incident .I clenched my teeth so hard it threatened to crack something. How the fuck am I to find out who I really am now? Having no memories is the same as not being a human at all… I'm just a shell like this. At that exact moment, a stray thought came into my mind. This stray thought had more power than 1000 suns, in my mental opinion.

_What does it matter who I was? I'm alive now, aren't I? That's right. Memories and experiences make the human being, and essentially I have died and simply been reborn. Forcing myself to remember everything would be like bringing back the dead… No, I'm tired of feeling confused all the time. I just got to start over from this exact moment. Even if my original memories return, it still won't be the equivalent of bringing back the original me anymore, no… That person combined with this person… having these two people combine their memories with each other entirely would create an entirely different human being altogether._

"Milly," I started, "go back to whatever it was you were doing before you decided to come and talk to me and wait till further notice to follow more of my orders… Until then, complete the first part of what I said, and only then may you return to your ordinary self." She said something in confirmation and left as quickly as she arrived. I paid little attention; still incredibly upset despite the fact I had come to a decision.

"Cutting my losses and starting over. Only question now is what do I want most?"

I remembered the conversation I first had with her, immediately after I placed her under my Geass. The boy Rivalz. If he and I were gambling partners earlier, we should still be.

"I'll just ask him to arrange a couple chess matches."

_I'm not a master tactician or strategist, nor do I know how to pilot a knightmare… but I will show this country I am a force to be reckoned with, and they will bow down to my superiority. Just give me a little time._

If I wasn't so upset at the time, I probably would've smiled wickedly. Instead, I stood up with a frown and exited the dorm, completely ignoring my sister Nunnally as she attempted to start a conversation in the hallway. I made it outside. However I was not satisfied with just getting out for some air, so I decide to take a walk as well. There were a surprisingly large amount of students around. I looked up at the clock posted on one of the main buildings, and noticed it was about 12: 30 in the afternoon.

"Must be lunchtime," I said to myself, not really caring anymore if I bumped into someone who knew the former me. In fact, at this point I welcomed the challenge. For I knew eventually it would get to the point when my loss of memory would cease to be an issue. I felt something vibrate in the lower part of my jacket. I realize this was another pocket as I stuck my hand in frantically, not understanding what was making the movement. I pulled out a smooth-looking flip phone. Taking a look at who was calling, it simply read: Shirley. I clicked the 'call accept' button and held the phone to my ear.

"Hey sweetness, what's shaken?" I opened the conversation, remembering what the girl looked like while barely keeping my mind out of the gutter.

"Lulu! Why did you skip the student Council meeting this morning? I mean, one minute your there, and the next you're just gone!" I didn't immediately respond, and she took that as a cue to continue. "I'm starting to believe what Rivalz said. You really might be a ninja." I smiled genuinely.

"You know it, that's how I get out of all the work I don't want to do." I stated smugly. Instead of her laughing like I thought she might, she growled angrily and commenced with lecturing me.

"If you put one-fourth the amount of effort you use to avoid work into doing the actual work, not only would you be a straight-A student, you would probably graduate valedictorian! You really should apply yourse-"

"I didn't know you thought so highly of me Shirley, why is that I wonder… What have I done to give you such a positive perspective on me?" I could almost feel her blush through the phone as I continued walking aimlessly.

"What do you mean? I just- I uh…" She trailed off.

"Where are you right now, Shirley? I wouldn't mind meeting up with you real quick." Her response was adorable from the way she stuttered.

"W-what do you mean w-where am I? I am eating in the student Council room like I always do every day at lunch with the rest of the student counsel. Milly just got back recently," she commented obviously trying to change the subject.

"Oh, in that case I'll be right there." I hung up abruptly, not giving her an opportunity to respond.

_Oh, how should I handle this one_…I thought as several different options played their way through my mind.

_She'll be more fun than Milly. I think I'll keep my Geass to a minimal on this one._ I decided as I made my way to the Student Council room.


	5. Geass: Breakdown

Audacity chapter 5

*Still in need of a beta reader but that's old news, in case you're wondering my character is a little mentally unstable, and has a tendency to go into a bit of a violent tangent. My character also is constantly frustrated by how weak Lelouch 's body is and will refuse to cut corners when it comes to forms of exercise or exertion.*I was unable to edit most of this chapter, but rest assured once you see this explanation of my bad grammar deleted, it will mean that I have successfully corrected all the grammatical and spelling errors in this chapter.* **

It had just begun raining as I slid into the student Council room ignoring the fact that I felt sort of out of place considering I knew nothing about it. I immediately noticed Shirley having a salad so I strolled over to her and picked up one of the red cherry tomatoes on her plate.

"Sup?" was my short greeting to her as I rolled the cherry tomato between my thumb and forefinger. She jumped a little, being surprised by my sudden entrance and actions.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that Lulu." I smirked a little at that and popped the cherry tomato into my mouth. Only then did I realize I was rather hungry- I hadn't eaten anything since I woke up this morning. Considering the living hell I've been going through since then, no one could blame me. I sat in a spinning chair next to computer in the corner. Placing my forearms on the headrest and sitting down on it I flung myself over next to her.

"Anything new happened lately?" it wasn't a grasp for information was a genuine question, I was just trying to make small talk. She thought about it for brief moment, putting the fork up to her bottom lip in thought.

"Now that you mention it, Nuna chan said you been acting weird this morning, and you didn't have breakfast with her." I opened my mouth to try and defend myself but was prevented from doing so. "you didn't blow her off to go gambling did you?" despite the fact that I was slightly upset at the random accusation I transferred that feeling into a genuinely hurt look.

"I had some stuff that needed to be done earlier this morning…" I said looking away sadly_. This memory loss thing is going to take a lot longer than I thought to put behind me._ Immediately after I had this thought, Milly walked through the door. She then immediately stopped and pointed at me.

"There you are!" she walked over angrily her arms at her sides. I froze.

_Did she somehow gain her memory of her actions during her Geassed state?_ I thought in horror. Milly crossed her arms just under her bust which in my opinion only served to announce the size of her breasts even more than they usually did by themselves.

"There was no reason to skip out on this morning's meeting, you made it so I had to do extra paperwork." I looked away feeling ashamed for some reason.

"About that… Sorry." I said still not meeting her gaze, hoping she would drop the subject. She didn't.

"What? No excuse from the great Lelouch Lamperouge resident lazy genius extraordinaire?" At the time I didn't pick up the playful nature in her tone and returned her question with a medium to light death glare.

_I've had one of the craziest cluster fuck, shit storm, all-around debacle of a day anyone could possibly have, and she has the audacity to be upset with me for missing a meeting?_ I grit my teeth still holding the death glare on her, previous feelings of shame completely gone now. The playful look on her face disappeared and turned into one of genuine worry.

"Listen here… I am having a very bad d-" I was cut off as Rivalz came in with two boxes.

"Somebody give me a hand here!" he said while teetering on the edge of dropping both boxes. I jumped to my feet and caught both boxes as he leaned to the right almost falling. The weight felt crushing to me but knowing my body's physically weak stature it couldn't have been more than 50 pounds. Grunting I lifted both the boxes regardless and carried them over the table and set them down separately.

"Thanks man!" Rivalz said while panting slightly and slapping me on the back. I then turned to smile back and ask.

"Where's Nina?" barely remembering the girls name from the conversation with Milly. Rivalz only shrugged and began rifling through the boxes.

"She should be here soon, or at least I hope she does. I need help setting up this cool new high definition projector." As if to prove his statements he held up the heavy looking black box with a knob on the front of it. I walked up to it and briefly inspected it.

"This looks pretty cool." I stated, I then hiked my thumb towards the other box. "What's in the other one?" Rivalz was still pulling out cords, wires and what appeared to be a frame for a stand.

"Just a bunch of movies, the AV club gave them to us in order to try out the new projector with." He paused to try and untangle some of the cords. "Go ahead and pick one, we can all watch it once we get this thing set up." For moment I was confused.

"Wait it's only lunchtime and you guys don't have enough time to watch a whole movie."

"It's Friday man remember? We only have the first three classes, the rest of the day's open in case you don't recall." I was unable to respond in order to make an excuse about me forgetting, for I was cut off by a short lecture.

"What do you mean you guys, Lulu… maybe if you actually applied yourself and attended these classes you would remember your schedule-" I cut her off abruptly.

"I told you I had something I needed to take care of this morning." I said a little bit more harshly than was necessary, my eyes hardening.

"What's that supposed to mean!" she said only getting angry instead of backing down. This caused a crack in my composure and made me grit my teeth for what I hoped would be the last time today.

"It's nobody's business but my own!" I had to restrain myself from raising my voice.

"Lelouch come on now, won't you tell us what's going on?" Milly asked trying to mediate a sense of peace. I looked around the room- everyone was looking at me, expecting an answer. The stress combined with the anger and frustration as well as being pressed by nearly everyone caused another crack in my already weakened mental stability. I felt the urge to lash out in order to defend myself.

"Rivalz." I said in an attempt to change the subject.

"What?" he asked in a somewhat worried voice, obviously not quite sure what to expect.

"How long do you think it would take for just the two of us to set up the projector by ourselves?" Rivalz only paused for a brief moment then responded with.

"Dunno… depends on whether or not it needs to have some sort of software set up. But even if we were to set it up, we would want to put it upstairs where we actually have a wall that is completely flat." I nodded and picked up the heavy black box that was the projector off the table and motioned for them to follow.

"Girls." I directed towards Shirley and Milly. "Select a movie for us to watch, but we will have to wait until Nina arrives in order to watch it… Just to be fair." Not allowing anyone to get a word in edgewise I began to walk out the door and ascend the red carpeted stairs. It took us all but 10 min. to set up the projector, metal stand and all. Nina had arrived sometime during the middle of the set up, but by that time we had determined we could get it to play the disc just fine and simply need to arrange it to point at the wall and erect the stand. While Rivalz was tinkering with the focus on the lens, I went and gathered five chairs, arranging my chair so it was facing the only entrance to the room: the furthest left side closest to the window.

"All right guys all set." I declared as I motion for Shirley to sit down next to me. Rivalz walked over to turn out the lights as the projector began playing the opening menu. Nina clicked the 'play movie' option on the startup screen just as everyone, including Rivalz, had managed to take a seat

The movie was obviously a chick flick. In hindsight I should have known better than to leave the two girls to pick something and actually expect me to enjoy it. It started out simple, and then a woman who had already been married before the movie had begun was taking a trip to the beach. On the way to the beach they began to sing along to the music on the radio.

_Oh my God! Something explode or something, for God sakes. This is about as dull as old people porn._ I couldn't help but snicker at the thought of old people producing any type of pornography. Apparently noticing my random outburst, Shirley turned to her left to peer at me. At first I thought this was a perfectly acceptable reaction due to my unusual response in a perfectly ordinary scene. However by viewing her out of the corners of my eyes I noticed for a long period of time she had yet to take her eyes off me. I then immediately became hyper focused on the movie ahead of me, for some reason feeling nervous.

"Holy crap, something please happen." I stated in a show of exasperation. And almost as if my prayers were answered the couple's sedan was struck by a large semi, causing almost pained reactions from the girls.

_Not what I meant but cool enough_… I thought to myself as I found the sense a plot forming. The next 15 min. of the movie spent in almost equal boredom as the first. It consisted of the woman getting out of the car, noticing her husband was bleeding from a head injury, and then calling an ambulance. She then proceeded to climb in the ambulance once they had hoisted him into it and set along for the ride as they made their way to the hospital, quickly afterwards rushing into intensive care leaving the woman to wait impatiently while sitting on one of the many incredibly uncomfortable looking waiting room chairs. Unable to take the monotony I leaned my head back and sighed loudly.

"Rivalz man, got any popcorn or something…?" _something… like cyanide?_ I continued in my head. Rivalz only shook his head barely acknowledging my question, seemingly engrossed in the incredibly attention redirecting movie. In an attempt to not lose my mind my looked for something to do. Noticing the way Shirley's hair splayed out on the back of the chair near the headrest, I then gathered an idea.

Reaching over both carefully and slowly, trying my best to not draw attention to myself, I grabbed a lock of Shirley's hair. I then began twirling it around my finger playfully, in plain sight of everyone. However the only person to notice was Shirley herself. Keeping my eyes perfectly straight, I had no idea what her reaction was. Her left hand then came up and made contact with mine in a weak attempt to dislodge my grip on her hair.

"What are you-Epp!" save for the last part she said in hushed tones, however being unable to finish her question as I then traded her hair for her left hand, holding onto it in a gentle but firm manner while intertwining our fingers and resting them both on the armrest of the chair. Then of all things the movie took a turn for the exciting… Well as exciting as a diagnosis from a doctor can be. The doctor walked out of the husband's room holding a clipboard and looking tired. He tells the woman that the man received extensive head trauma but would live and should be fine once he wakes up. Then predictably the woman broke into tears and hugs the doctor, thanking him for doing his job.

_Funny, I'm pretty sure if things turned out poorly for the husband woman would actually be angry with the doctor for a situation beyond his control._ I smirked in a dry humor. But another 10 to 15 min. into the story, which had just begun to develop a plot, the husband woke up. The wife, who had not left his side since he had been admitted to the hospital, (which apparently was two days ago in the movie) had been patiently and conveniently both awake and waiting there the entire time.

She began to pepper him with 'I love yous' and 'thank God you're all right' only to realize that her husband was looking back at her with an absolute look of confusion.

"Who are you?" the husband asked clearly not joking. The Wife's only response was to laugh, trying to believe that he was playing with her, and began telling him about how much their family was worried and would be coming down soon to see him. My bones went cold as I realized something.

He has no memory of his wife… the wife became chest fallen as the man redoubled his efforts to assure her that he had no idea what she was talking about, and that he could not recall a single thing about her or any of his past experiences.

_Correction he has no memory of anything. Yeah, well join the club and get a room pal. I thought this bitterly as another thought crossed my mind. At least he fucking has someone who knows him well enough for him to fall back on… He has some chance of getting his memory jogged, I have some unnatural fucking force completely removing the possibility of me re-attaining my memories!_ Tears began to well in my eyes as another crack in my armor was made. I felt weak, almost sick as I realized I had nobody; nobody cared for me in that way and that there would be no moral and mental support for my lack of memories. Tears began to flow slowly but regularly down my face as I steadily let the frustration out, tensing all my muscles at the same time.

"Ow! Lulu you're hurting my hand." Shirley stated loud enough for everyone to hear. I then realized that while my fingers had been intertwined with hers, during the expulsion of my emotions I had squeezed down tightly on her and, apparently too tightly for it was at the point of pain. I immediately began to feel bad even more so than I already did.

"S-sorry…" I said failing to hold back the sob that followed.

"Lulu, are you crying!" Shirley shouted despite the fact that she should've at least remained somewhat quiet due to the movie. This caused everyone to turn and look, prying their attention away from the now moderately interesting movie. Milly then stood up and took three large steps up to the light switch and flicked it on. Nina had apparently paused the movie for it was perfectly quiet for Milly's question.

"All right Mr., what's going on here? The Lelouch I know wouldn't cry in front of anyone." I stood, mimicking the others, turning my head and unable to face them.

"It's nothing, the movie just got me a little-"

"Bullshit!" Milly said loudly, everyone's reaction was that of shock. Apparently Milly rarely used profanity unless it was a serious situation. "You have got to be wound up because of something, there's no way a movie by itself would be enough to do this." I hesitated, taking a step back. "just tell us what's going on Lelouch, we're here for you." She said much softer. And that was all it took, my mental armor completely shattered and fell to pieces at my proverbial feet.

A wicked smiled then broke unto my face as I began to chuckle darkly.

"Why can't everyone just mind their own business?" I said in a tone laced with loathing unable to accept someone was simply there to help because they cared.

"Because we care about you Lulu!" Shirley chimed in while edging closer in order put her hand on my shoulder.

"BACK OFF!" I yelled stepping back and swinging my arm in an outward arc. However everyone save for Nina began to edge forward for whatever reason thinking it was the logical thing to do in order to console me. Unable to fight the urge to distance myself from these people, I reached for my breast pocket slowly, hand twitching all the while. Milly seemed to be the only one who took note of this movement and flinched back some, apparently realizing the inherent threat.

Luckily this time I realized producing a firearm would be very counterproductive considering the fact I wasn't fond of being arrested. Instead I reached into my right pocket quickly introduced the butterfly knife flicking it open quickly. Looking behind me I spied the window and the curtains on it.

"Whoa buddy calm down…" Rivalz said in attempt to restrain some of my insanity. But instead of turning the blade on them, I quickly rotated my body 180° and slashed at the curtains causing the severed fabric to flutter down. I snatch the fabric out of the air and redirected it to the three people advancing upon me, covering their heads, which gave me just enough time to flip the hook and unlock the window. Placing my left foot on the windowsill seal while opening both ends of the double window I catapulted myself out. Not caring that I was on the second story, grabbing hold of the branches of the nearby tree, I made my descent, snapping most of them but then catching one finally towards the bottom strong enough to take the strain. Quickly dropping down after halting gravity, I began to run off in whatever direction I was currently facing… soaking myself in the rain, I gave in to the mental strain and submit to insanity.


	6. Geass: Olive branch

Audacity chapter 6.

**In this chapter you will see my character's *who I will now begin to refer to as Lelouch.* sanity return halfway. Also I hate to ask for reviews but I find them to be a an imperative part of writing something like this if you have thoughts comments questions or concerns or even complaints I listen to them and I guarantee a response to each and every one… Assuming it's not a rhetorical question but even then there's a good chance I'll respond regardless**

I stumbled around in the rain unable to care less that I was getting soaked. For the most part unbeknownst to me, I made my way up the hill which had a single large Oak tree rooted upon the topmost and center part of it. Luckily I had run into no one on my way here for I still held the butterfly knife in my right hand. At the top of the hill I leaned against the tree- it provided good cover from the rain for now. My anger randomly peeking I screamed out upwards.

"This is some sort of cruel joke!" whilst yelling this into the sky seemed to have no effect, I continued on regardless, unaware of my small one-person audience.

"Taking away everything and leaving me with almost nothing!" I inhaled deeply

"WELL FUCK YOU! GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed loud and long letting out all my stress along with most of my anger. I dropped the knife near the tree sliding onto my knees; I began laughing lightly at first, almost humorously. But it soon turned into sadistic almost psychotic laughter, the kind they put people in straitjackets for. My fit of laughter lasted less than 30 seconds as it transcended into sobbing.

I jumped slightly as two slender arms made their way around my shoulders and into a full hug. I looked up straight in the eyes of Shirley who was showing the beginnings of tears. Instead of lashing out, instead of backing away, instead of closing myself up, I returned the hug, crying into her shoulder. We both sat there on our knees for a good 5 minutes, Shirley rubbing my back sympathetically the entire time.

"Lulu?" Shirley finally broke with. I looked into her eyes once more to find her staring right back into mine. She then inched her head forward slowly and carefully, and for some odd reason I felt inclined to do the same. I then realized what was happening just as she closed her eyes and our lips met. My eyes went wide with shock for brief moment but I then gave in to the kiss. It was not a kiss of severe endearment, or one showing of unyielding love, however it was the kiss of understanding and caring. This sensation sparked a new feeling in my chest, I deepened the kiss slightly causing my heart to flutter. After a brief while of this I pulled back to look at her once more.

"Wow…" Shirley whispered while blushing heavily. My response was to hug her again, placing my mouth next her ear I whispered back deeply.

"Shirley…" I felt her shiver in my grasp as I did this, her breath visibly quickening, taking note to this I breathed in and out slowly but powerfully.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to force that on you…" I said while hiding my shame by keeping my chin on her shoulder.

"Don't be!" she started by saying little bit too loudly. "I mean… I'm just glad you care about me that way."

I froze for brief moment trying to fully grasp my situation before reacting or saying anything.

_It appears there was just a small misconception with the conveyance of my feelings… Oh shit. Damage control time._

"It's kind of embarrassing… But… you didn't mind? " How the hell is that damage control? I thought while mentally slapping myself. Shirley giggled, it was short but full of life and happiness. Instead of pulling back I interlaced my fingers just at the small of her back. In return she hugged me tighter but then shifted as something seemed to be amiss to her.

"What's this?" she questioned by feeling my chest where the main pocket was. Being both still red eyed from crying and mentally drained I didn't react nearly fast enough… Or at all for that matter. Shirley then reached inside of the pocket moving past the folds in the fabric to make entry and produced my firearm holding it awkwardly, staring at it with wide eyes she exclaimed.

"Is this real?" My senses finally coming back to me, I went bug-eyed and snatched the dangerous object away from her.

"Of course it's real!" I said cradling the gun defensively.

"You shouldn't have one of those!" She said while reaching out and attempting confiscate said firearm from me. I simply held the gun out of reach above her. She struggled a few more seconds attempting to get it from me, but to no avail.

"Lulu! That thing is dangerous!" I snorted at the unintended humor (At least to me.) in the statement.

"No shit that's why I carry it. You know the whole self-defense thing?" While saying this I quickly and fluidly slipped it back into the chest pocket of my uniform. I stood quickly but not unkindly and offered a hand to her.

"Come on, let's get out of the rain." She took my hand, clearly not satisfied with the result of the firearm's argument but kept her thoughts to herself for now, as I led her back to my dorm. Writing off an almost euphoric feeling of self-control, I hardly notice my surroundings as we entered the student Council building where my room was located. She tagged along, still hand-in-hand with me. Just down the hall to my room I stated to her,

"We need to get you out of those clothes and into something dry…" I paused briefly thinking and how many ways might my words could be misconceived. "That sounded less creepy in my head." I said while blushing lightly. Opening the door to my room, knowing it was both vacant and unlocked, I let her inside before me. She spun around once in an attempt to gather information on my lifestyle.

"Surprisingly clean for boys room." She said smiling softly. I scratched the back of my head not quite knowing how to respond until I remembered what Milly had told me about me having a maid. But instead of talking about matters of my cleanliness I pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

"There should be everything you need in there… I'll get you some clothes that fit, after you warm up in the shower." She nodded, slightly red in the face but regardless proceeded to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. I waited until I heard the door close and the water start before I even moved. Once I felt it safe, I quickly dressed into another copy of the Ashford school uniform, and replaced all the contents of my pockets into the new set.

_I need to find something more suitable for her… One of those black tank tops in the dresser over there should be good…_ I walked over to the dresser and opened the third drawer. Peering inside I found just what I have been looking for.

_Now for some pants…_ I shifted the drawers some more, not quite remembering where the blue jeans were. It didn't take long to find one, I searched for a tank top, specifically looking for the largest one I could find. Knowing that there was no chance in hell I was going to find any form of undergarments for her, I folded up both articles and walked over to the bathroom door. Knocking twice I asked.

"Shirley I have some clothes here for you…" I trailed off waiting for instructions while listening to the soft tapping of the rain like showerhead while at the same time trying very hard not to imagine her naked. With water slowly dripping from her curvaceous form, lubricating every part of her body causing it's to shine from multiple angles.

_Stop that!_

"Yeah, go ahead and put them in here, I've drawn the curtain." Swallowing lightly I complied by opening the door and being met by a torrent of steam and humidity that was lined with the faintest scent of soap and body wash. I placed the neatly folded clothes next to the bin that she had discarded her completely soaked garments into.

"Oops…" I heard Shirley say timidly, in response I raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" my asked while rearranging my still wet hair.

"I dropped the soap between the curtain and the side of the tub… it's over there somewhere now." I saw her slender arm poke out and gesture towards the floor near my feet. I looked down, stepping forward gingerly in an attempt to find the lost bar.

"I don't see it-" I was cut off by my foot giving way completely, my weight shifting forward and my body cascading towards the ground… And coincidentally the shower as well.

"Gahh!" I yelped while frantically reaching out to attempt to grab anything in order to stop my unplanned and unwanted dissent. My hands met with the shower curtain but soon found it unable to support my weight as all the metal hooking quickly popped off and I fell forward onto the ground regardless. I heard Shirley gasp in shock as the curtain fluttered onto my back.

"Aww shit my head…" I mumbled while trying to set up.

"Don't look!" she said loudly. A moment after she said this something in my mind clicked and caused the evil bastard part of me to come out partially. I hung my head there in an upright position making sure I was looking down, hair covering my eyes. I then proceeded to say slowly and deeply.

"What if I want to look..?" My question was only met by the sound of the still running water of the shower as she processed my words.

"W-w-what?" Shirley said meekly, obviously feeling self-conscious. I couldn't help but give way to a slight grin as I edged my head up only slightly, still unable to see her.

"You heard me… I said what if I want to look?" I could imagine the look on her face as I said this but regardless hoped to see it myself… amongst other things. I myself at the time could not describe the feeling of attachment I had toward this girl as well as the other Council members… I just figured that I had actually grown to care about them before I lost my memories. But regardless something forced me to push myself on her.

"Well Shirley? Let me make you mine…" I said this hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. My feeling of insanity riding on her next decision. I waited with bated breath…


	7. Geass: Chivalry

Audacity chapter 7.

**I've been doing very little editing lately, not because I'm having a beta reader do it or anything *however I have acquired a beta reader* but it's mostly due to the fact that I have had very little sleep recently. But not to worry I will be back and forth between older chapters sprucing up what I can, where I can.**

I inhaled the thick humid air barely keeping my patience as I waited for Shirley's answer. I was finally granted sanctity when she spoke.

"O-okay…" She said this barely above a whisper. My smirk transformed to a genuine smile as I decided to perform what I still believe to be a truly proper action in this situation. I stood up, my eyes clearly closed but my face angled directly at her. I reached over blindly towards the wall where the faucet handle was, turning off the water not caring that I got my recently changed uniform a little wet in the process.

"Lulu…" Shirley said with a little more volume this time. I then turned, navigating by memory, I found the towel rack just to the left of where the shower curtain used to stand. Gripping said towel in my left hand I then reached for her with my right- deliberately aiming high so I would not grab her breast. I found her shoulder and proceeded to wrap the towel around her, tucking the fabric into itself so it would not fall to the ground.

"I will… But not like this, when we are both ready I will." Saying this while finally opening my eyes and embraced her. Just like earlier I brought my mouth close to her ear and spoke deeply.

"I promise, Shirley." I paused and decided to skip the kissing step in order to pursue the option of covering my bases.

"This was truly an accident… And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, however, I can't help but to tell you how happy I feel right now." In my mind I knew the word happy didn't quite cover it, it was more along the lines of 'mostly sane' and it was a wonderful feeling. Because once I felt it, I no longer cared about not knowing anything about my past and being uncertain of the future, all that mattered was I had something now.

_And I'll kill and die to keep it._ Hoping that I had both gained her trust and admiration with my actions, I looked her in her eyes only to find them both brimming with tears. I reached up and held her head in my right hand then kissed her on the forehead, only to turn abruptly and begin leaving the room. Just as I was about to close the door behind me I was stopped by her voice.

"Lelouch… Thank you, most guys wouldn't have done what you just did." I smiled inwardly but kept my face straight for the most part.

_Took more restraint than you might believe Shirley._ Just before I close the door I whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Only for you, Shirley." Immediately after I shut the door the rest the world and universe became apparent to me, I realize how fast my heart was beating and how clear my thoughts were. I then proceeded over to the couch in order to sit down and calm myself. Once seated I leaned my head against the wall just above the backrests of the couch. Realizing this wasn't working I then proceeded to shake my head vigorously, stopping once I realized that if I lost this feeling the previous void of insanity would grapple with me again, attempting to model my thoughts with black tendrils of hate and distrust.

I was unable to hear anything from the bathroom so I made an attempt to listen closely by focusing my eyes my pants leg and clearing my thoughts. The weak attempt at amplifying my hearing was quickly disrupted by me noticing a stray thread on my pants leg. Not one to let something so out of place remain on my person, I reach for my knife in order to cut it, only to realize that I didn't have it.

_Crap I dropped it over by that tree…_ I stood quickly getting close to the bathroom door.

"Shirley!" I said pausing only briefly for her to reply.

"Y-yes?" was her muffled response.

"I left something outside that I need to go pick up, wait for me here and I'll walk you home. I should be back in about 15 minutes… So until then just make yourself comfortable." Unwilling to wait for a response, I headed after one of the two remaining items that I felt a fond attachment to.

_That tree should be way over there._ I thought as angled myself toward the correct area shortly after exiting the building without incident. Jogging up to the tree, I scanned the roots on the ground beneath it, but to little avail for I could not find a single trace of the gleaming blade.

"Looking for this?" Came a bored tone from behind me. I spun around quickly, not recognizing the voice and because of that feeling I was moved into a defensive posture with my hand in my chest pocket. I then saw the girl from the video. Her hair just as long and green as I remembered along with her incredibly odd fashion statement of an outfit. In order to not seem too surprised, I immediately came up with something to say.

"Uh… I'm sorry but you really should be dead right now, you kinda got shot in the head." _Kinda?... More like completely! _I couldn't help but think this as she shifted her posture into one of boredom by crossing her arms underneath her breasts.

"True, but I can't die." My eye twitch at the statement. I then face palmed, surrendering myself to the absurdity of the situation.

"Not much surprises me any fucking more." I mumbled. With my hand still yet to be removed from my chest pocket I straightened my stature.

"well then… What do you want?" I asked bluntly knowing that my question more than likely would not be received well. Her eyes widened; she was visibly shocked by both my acceptance of the situation and the simplicity of my question. This look of shock only lasted for brief moment as she recovered herself.

"I have a small list of demands." I nodded a signal imploring for her to continue. "I would like refuge, food, and my wish granted." Now was my turn to be wide-eyed, I realized that this was all game to her.

_Well then, two can play this game._ "Fine… I'll agree to the first two, if you give me back my knife." She complied by tossing the weapon towards me, forcing me to try and catch it at a non-dangerous angle. I succeeded and flicked it closed, replacing it to its original position in my pants pocket.

"But as to the third one, considering I don't know what it is, it will have to wait to be evaluated some other time for a yes or no answer on a later date." Dropping the arrogant sarcastic tone I began anew.

"Or I could make this easy…" I stated maliciously. "{Forget everything about me.}" I turned ready to walk off, confident my power had worked its magic. I was sorely disappointed as she remained motionless and apathetic.

"That won't work on me." The immortal stated simply. I was startled to say the least. This girl could brush off my most powerful weapon without even blinking… therefore she was dangerous and I wanted her as an ally, not as an enemy.

"Great… well in that case meet me here in about an hour and a half to discuss what you and I have to offer each other." _If anything._ I added mentally. I turned leaving the incredibly odd encounter to be sorted out later as I made my way back towards where Shirley was waiting. It didn't take long for me to walk down the hallway and knock on the door to my own room all things.

"You ready to go?" I asked as I opened the door. The sight I saw when I entered was not that of which I expected, it was of Shirley who was laying passed out on the bed. It was an adorable site, for she was curled up slightly, her knuckles lined up just before her lips. I decided to leave her there so she could sleep, mostly due to the fact that I didn't have the heart to wake her up. Instead I walked into the bathroom and hung up her clothes on the towel rack.

"Wait…" I paused my actions, because just at that point in time I had remembered that in my possession and services there was a maid at my disposal.

_She should be able to get these clean and dry by tomorrow, if not I'll do it myself._ And thus with my new ultimatum I set off in search of my maid, ambling about the area designated as my dorm being sure to shut the door softly as not to wake Shirley. I pulled out my phone to check what time it was, on a side note I remembered I needed to buy a watch in case my phone became unavailable or ran out of battery. It was only eight o'clock so everyone should still be up and awake I determined.

"Now if I was a maid where would I be?" I wondered as I made my way to the dining room. Inside my younger sister Nunnally was eating dinner peacefully with the maid whose name still eluded me.

"Oh hello big brother." Nunnally said softly "will you be eating with us tonight?" despite the fact I was very hungry since I had not eaten anything for very long period of time, I still was not comfortable conversing with someone who was so close to me before I had lost my memory. I wasn't ready for a random slip up quite yet. However, for some odd reason it caused me a twinge of pain to decline her invitation.

"No I just came to see if I could get this washed and ready by tomorrow?" I lifted the still damp uniform up slightly as a gesture for the maid. The shorthaired maid took this is as the signal to retrieve the fabric from me. I nodded in thanks, but before I could turn to leave I was assailed by a question.

"Lelouch, you've been acting strangely lately… Is everything all right?" I toyed briefly with the thought of giving everything away. But once again the idea of the padded walls and straitjacket did not appeal to me, so as usual I opted for a way out.

"Of course, I just have a lot of catching up to do at school recently. " Once again I felt the strange pang pain as I lied to her. Nunnally smiled sincerely. Despite being blind, I could see the absolute affection and caring she had on her face as well as her posture and body language.

"I'm really glad that you're taking school seriously."

"Yeah. I guess some Shirley's lectures finally got to me." I laughed as I made my exit after a brief goodbye. Instead of heading back to my room I decided to go back to the tree where the green haired immortal was waiting for me.

She said she wanted a wish granted, but she wouldn't tell me what it was. It might have something to do with my Geass. Will she leave once she gets what she wants or will she try to kill me? I'll just have to play this very cautiously.

I observed the immortal simply sitting beneath a tree waiting patiently.

"I'm back early." I broke the silence and gained her attention. "For the sake of convenience I'm going to have to ask your name."

"What's in a name?" she asked enigmatically, either avoiding the question or building a preamble up to the answer.

"If you don't tell me I'm just to come up with a name that you probably won't like." I said this, allowing just a little bit of frustration to be apparent in my voice. I wanted to make it clear wasn't going to play this game by her terms.

"No need to get upset, you may call me CC." I blinked once at the absurdity of the name. But then again she couldn't die, wasn't affected by my Geass, and had given the damnable power to me. So as to why a strange name bothered me so much, I had no answer.

"That's all fine and dandy I suppose, as to your first two accommodations, I can agree to them because of the power you gave me. I feel like I owe you." I pause to shift my stature to a more comfortable position.

"However, this 'wish' you spoke about earlier you're going to have to be more specific about. That or you're just going to have to hope I fulfill it unknowingly." She stared back at me with her standard stoic expression.

"I'm not going to tell you what it is; you're just going to have to wait." I grit my teeth some; this wasn't going to be fun if she was going to be difficult.

"Okay fine… Then just tell me what I need to do in order to hurry things along some… That is if you can without giving it away." A small hint of a smile graced her lips, as she seemed amused by my choice of bargaining.

"Just continue to use your Geass is much as possible… It will do the rest by itself."

_That was cryptic, but it's easy enough to accomplish… It's not like I wasn't going to do that anyway, even if she didn't ask._ I inhaled deeply, scanning all angles of my next decision thoroughly.

"You have a deal for now, unless there are significant changes I will shelter you." I paused remembering the last thing she had said. "And you can believe me when I say this… I will use my Geass frequently so there's nothing to worry about on that front." I motion for her to follow me as I began walking back to, what I hoped would be the last time tonight, my dorm.

_Dammit can't remember that maid's name… What was its… ah! Sayoko! That's it! _ A wave of relief washed over me as I remembered this semi crucial piece of information. I held the door open for CC politely once we have made it to the front. She entered nonchalantly as if she owned the place. This irked me slightly but I refused to let it show.

Going back to the dining room where Sayoko was ( Hopefully) I held my hand up as a signal for CC to wait just outside of the doorframe to the said room. Seeing that Sayoko was indeed still standing behind Nunnally while she was eating, I called for her.

"Sayoko, could you please come over for a minute? I'd like to talk to you about something." Sayoko bowed politely to Nunnally then quickly made her way over to me. Making sure to keep my voice low so Nunnally wouldn't hear I Geassed her.

"{Obey me.}" I commanded as usual.

"{Of course master Lelouch.} Being satisfied with her reply I followed up with my instructions.

"You're to take this girl and preparer her a room to stay in; she will be living with us from now on so acknowledge her as a member of the household. Inform me tomorrow whenever things are arranged properly…" I paused remembering something. "Oh, and don't forget to have the uniform I gave you cleaned and dried by tomorrow morning."

I couldn't help but feel a little bad for Sayoko. I did honestly hope I didn't give her any orders that would keep her up all night. Ignoring this, I quickly made my way back to my room where my source of sanity awaited me.

_I hope she's still sleeping peacefully._ I thought as I opened the door once more. My hope was rewarded as sight of her nestle in a different position- facing the wall- greeted me. I smiled and pulled the blanket up over her body and shoulders. Deciding to sleep in my uniform I thought to myself.

_Guess I'm sleeping on the couch._ I then turned out light and slept till morning.


	8. Shirley:Beginning

Audacity chapter 8

*I have had a rather small amount of feedback when it comes to this specific story, the number of hits and visitors have remained consistent throughout however, I fail to see any sort of response from the community. That aside in case you're too stupid to realize this, this entire chapter is from Shirley's perspective, so consider that your heads up… Unless of course you're too dumb to read the author's notes… And in that case, while I can't blame you, you're pretty dumb for ignoring useful information*

I was dreaming. I knew it was a dream but I couldn't control it. It took me places and made me see things that I would've not chosen to look at or to be near, it wasn't uncomfortable it just didn't make sense.

I sat there and started at Lelouch in a world of white; at first this wasn't too odd as far as dreams go. However less than 10 seconds after I began looking, he literally split into two people, sort of like how a cell would divide. One Lelouch was the mirror image of the other one, the only difference was what they said along with their body language.

"Hey Shirley, what shaken?" asked the Lelouch on the left. I blinked twice not knowing how to respond.

"Lulu?" I directed at both of them. The Lelouch on the right simply sat there looking thoughtful while Lelouch on the left smiled manipulatively.

"Which ones the real one? Or are we the same?" both Lelouch's asked at the same time in perfect unison. They spoke again together as one. "Does it matter to you?"

"You both can't be Lelouch… at least not at the same time." I responded with feeling, oddly confident with my logic.

"Very true so you determined one of us is not the original… good." Lelouch on the right spoke individually this time. The Lelouch on the left sighed heavily.

"Now that takes out most the fun, you basically eliminated half the options." Their next words were once again spoken the same time.

"So how about we just tell you a secret?" I nodded in confirmation, and as a response Lelouch in the left began walking towards me. However I was unable to see what would happen next for I was awoken by a blinding light. My mind zipped back to the real world as I realized the sun had come up, and a single yet strong beam of light shone just upon my closed eyes. I adjusted my head so that I could open my eyes clearly.

I immediately noticed I was not in my own home: I was still in Lelouch's room. I then looked down and noticed myself only wearing a tank top that was stretched to the limits by my breasts as well as a pair of pants that, while they were slightly too long for me, hugged my curves a little too tightly. I felt a blush flood my cheeks as I realized.

These are Lelouch's clothes… And this is his bed, so where is he? I scanned the room and it took me but a moment to see him softly sleeping on the couch. I smiled feeling a warm sensation in my chest.

_I must've fallen asleep… So he slept on the couch and let me stay in his bed. _I yawned loudly and as a result of this action Lelouch began to stir. To be honest at the time, the last thing I wanted to do was wake him up when he allowed me to sleep previously.

"Oh you're wake." He said sleepily "Sayoko should have your uniform washed and dried by now; I figured you wouldn't want to go all the way home just to get a new one." I sat there unable to respond immediately, baffled by the fact that he would think so far ahead just for me.

"T- Thank you Lulu…" I swung my legs to the edge of the bed and stood, only to sit back down after I got a head rush from standing too quickly. After my world stopped spinning I looked up at Lelouch again. Only to realize that he was staring intently at me.

_What, do I look funny or something? Or is he… Ogling me?_ Another blush crept its way up into my face as I considered this option. He had already shown he had a monstrous amount of restraint and respect for me during the shower incident, which I couldn't help but blame on myself.

Then some of his words rang in my head again. _'I will… But not like this, when we are both ready I will._'

_Does this mean he wants me? I really hope so. How about a test then?_ I stood up again this time slower than the first. Slowly and deliberately I began to lean forward and stretch, purposely revealing an enormous amount of my cleavage while leaning forward, the low-cut of the tank top assisting me greatly.

Glancing upwards I noticed his eyes were glued to me, his left was twitching rapidly as if he was trying to suppress something. It was strange, it was a scary feeling to know that I had this effect on him, however at the same time it made me feel important- so wonderful. Another idea rolled into my mind.

"Hey Lelouch?" My question causing him to glance upwards away from the show. " Did Sayoko wash my underwear as well?" I wasn't wearing any at this time. Knowing how smart Lelouch was I was sure he would put two and two together and realize that. His response was flustered, very unusual for Lelouch.

"No I uh- I should have… Should have thought about your underwear more…" He face Palmed realizing what he had said. "I mean I should have thought about that more and had those washed as well." He turned his head in a weak attempt to hide his blush. I giggled lightly.

"It's okay I have some extras in my locker. So why didn't you wake me up to walk me home?" His blush faded slightly and his words became soft and caring.

"You looked so peaceful there sleeping, I figured if you woke up I could still just walk you home. But other than that I just wanted to let you rest." The warm feeling in my chest amplified several fold, as I determined to myself that he did genuinely care about me. Fighting back the extreme embarrassment I forced myself to ask the question that had been gnawing at the back of my mind since yesterday evening.

"So Lulu…" I paused to build up steam and confidence. "Does this mean we're going out now, or something." My muscles were somewhat tense and I couldn't keep my gaze anywhere but downwards. I heard him laugh, he did this for a good 3 seconds, and during that time I had begun to think I'd made a fool of myself.

"If you ask me it does…" He confirmed "Why, you don't want to?" I panicked and quickly tried to put a hold on any thoughts that might advise that I was not interested.

"N-no, that's not it, I really want to." I blushed heavily this time, feeling it go all the way to my ears. I continued looking down, and while doing this I didn't notice him get up across the room and over to me, where he then embraced me openly. The embrace was firm but gentle as well as warm. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered deeply.

"That makes me happy… I can't wait spend more time with you, Shirley." I shivered, I absolutely loved it when he did that, it made me go weak at the knees and it fogged up my mind pleasantly. Lelouch then broke me from my blissful stupor by sliding his hand up and cupping my chin. Gently and slowly locking his lips with mine. The kiss was slow… All the warmth I could imagine, he directed towards me with this simple action.

Unfortunately after several seconds of this both of our bodies required air, and we pulled apart. Well he did, I tried to lean into it more as he pulled away. His arms tightened around me as he slowly rubbed my lower back with one hand. Knowing that there were no illegitimate intentions I allowed this happily and snuggled my head into his chest.

"We need to get ready for school soon…" I groaned not wanting to leave the situation we were in. Regardless of this, I pushed away reluctantly and move to pick up my clothes off his desk. I couldn't help but have a naughty thought go through my mind I shook my head to clear myself of this. Taking my uniform into the bathroom and deciding I could just wear the same underwear for now, I shut the door behind me to get changed.

"I'm going go on ahead, I need to pick up some stuff for class." I heard Lelouch say through the door. "See you later today!" he declared emphatically as I heard his bedroom door shut signifying his departure. I quickly stripped myself down and changed into my uniform, putting the used clothes inside the hamper beside me.

_I have to go find the Prez and tell her about this._ Feeling a surge of girlish giddiness as I raced out both doors, out of Lelouch's room, down the hall the of the student Council building and into the student Council room. I looked around finding no one. Not letting this stymie my excitement I dug in my pockets for my phone and clicked on Milly's number.

"This is Milly!" came Milly's cheerful response after only two Dial tones.

"Madam President! Can you come to the student Council room? I want to tell you something in person."

"Having boy troubles or something?" I ignored her teasing.

"No the opposite actually." I replied happily, but despite this she continued to tease.

"Oh… So it's girl troubles, I didn't know you swung that way." At this point I become flustered and struggled to quickly correct the misconception.

"No it's about me and Lelouch-" I was cut off by Milly's excited squeal.

"You two are finally going out!" I fidgeted in place happily.

"YES!" unable to contain any bit of my giddiness I continued "hurry up and get here!"

"I will. Be there in five."

_This is great!_ I thought _she'll be able to give me loads of advice on what to do in when on a date and stuff!_ I then slid into the computer chair and spun in circles impatiently until she arrived ready to gush over all things that pertain to a relationship.


	9. Geass:Gray Jack

Audacity chapter 9

*Must… Stop…Procrastinating… Sigh. Well now that's over I suppose I can get onto business, as I previously stated I will respond to every review assuming it's not a rhetorical question/comment. On that note feel free to ask questions, for I will give detailed answers. Also tips and suggestions are always welcome. And just as a heads up this chapter is returning to Lelouch's point of view… just so you're aware*

I was simply walking, saying it was aimless would be inaccurate, for I had a target objective to complete by doing this… And that objective was 'Memorize the godforsaken layout of this most damnable school' I felt like I was impossibly bad with directions but when I focused my mind I couldn't help but remember almost every detail on just about anything I had previously experienced recently.

Putting the grind of map building onto an auxiliary thought process, I began thinking back to the conversation I had with CC earlier today. It was fairly simple, although she wouldn't tell me exactly what her wish was, I did know that all I had to do to accomplish it was use my Geass until it evolves. This information was not garnered lightly it took several attempts from many different verbal pathways in order to get her to give me this seemingly trivial piece of information.

Somewhere else in my mind I thought about Shirley, every time I did I would feel this borderline giddy feeling surfacing itself, it wasn't like I disliked it or anything, but it did get in the way of other thoughts.

I couldn't help but marvel at my ability to think about several things once and not lose track of anything. I had determined through heavy concentration, my maximum was seven different intelligent subjects at once. Although when I devoted all my 'brain power' to one thing at a time I found that it was unyieldingly successful at finding both alternative solutions and back door loopholes.

I was distracted from my internal musings by my cell phone vibrating in my lower breast pocket. Slightly disgruntled I answered it not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" I questioned quickly. The response from the speaker nearly caused my eardrum rupture.

"LELOUCH YOU LUCKY BASTARD! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE FINALLY GOING OUT WITH SHIRLEY?" painfully holding the phone away from my ear I barely recognized the voice as that of Rivalz.

"Damn son, you trying to break my ear?" The ire was clear in my voice.

"That's not important right now, tell me what'cha got." I sighed lightly, knowing it was futile to try and reprimand someone of his sunny disposition.

"To make a short story even shorter, Shirley and I are going out… Is that clear enough for you?"

"Ha ha very funny, I mean tell me how you snagged her, I mean, it was pretty obvious she liked you for the longest time, I just find it funny you finally got a clue and took advantage of it." It irked me a little bit that he described Shirley almost like an object or an animal.

"I did not snag her," I paused "It was a mutual agreement on both our ends."

"pfft… you're no fun, I'll just get my explanation from Milly or Shirley herself. Catch you later." I was relieved when I heard the click signifying the call was over. Stopping to view my surroundings briefly I noticed I was near the faculty room, and to this room the door was wide open. Interestingly enough there was a television inside displaying the news. I leaned up against the doorway to watch for a moment, interested in the recent happenings significantly more so because of my lack of memories.

The screen displayed two completely suited up guards pulling a clearly unwilling man along with them. My brow furled slightly as I tried to piece together the situation. But my attempt was pointless for I then heard the newscaster.

"Suspicions have been confirmed as to who killed Prince Clovis," My interest peaked significantly as a remembered the out of body experience the video had provided. Recalling myself killing Prince Clovis.

"Honorary Brittanian, private Suzaku Kururugi is the prime and only suspect in the ongoing investigation and has been set up to be tried…" At this point I began to tune out as my thoughts ensued.

_But I know for a fact I'm the one who killed the Prince… Can I simply let someone else take the fall for me, are they going to execute them if he's found guilty? How did they even begin to suspect him? Then again he did have contact with me on a personal level from before I lost my memories. But it's not like I can simply go to the authorities and say 'hey, I'm your guy, not him and walk away cleanly even with Geass…_ my mind burned with questions as I tried to figure out a way to get this innocent person out of my mess.

"Fuck…" Was my brief yet profound form of conveyance, conveyance of the sick and angry feeling I had from causing someone else's reputation to be ruined because of my actions. Despite the fact I couldn't remember it.

_Maybe I could speak to CC about this…_ I clenched my fist in brief frustration and reversed the thought process. Then again she's unlikely to help me… Wait, she said I needed to have my Geass evolve in order to fulfill her wish. If that's the case I need to be alive in order to do that.

My frown curved up some with that thought. And I made a beeline (At least I what I thought to be) back to my dorm in order to consult with her.

On the way there I toyed with thought of Geassing someone to take the blame for me. However this was quickly dismissed as I realized this was exact equivalent of what I was trying to correct, which was:

The punishment of an innocent for my foul deeds.

I couldn't even begin to comprehend what my motivation could have been behind killing the Prince. But I decided to pursue that knowledge on a later date.

Opening the door to the student Council main building, my eyes narrowed when I saw what could potentially be an obstacle.

Milly stood there with her back turned to me, Rivalz and Nina in tow behind. In an attempt to shirk my way past them unnoticed, I lightened my footsteps. But it seemed this would have no effect, for Milly turned to her right in order to speak to Rivalz and in doing so spotted me.

"Dammit…" I cringed knowing that if I used my Geass control over her in front of other people that it might become suspicion worthy. I flicked my Geass on, preparing to Geass the remaining two student Council members to obey me. Milly began to walk towards me and my heart dropped for directly behind her was Shirley. Quickly averting my gaze and turning off my Geass I submitted to my fate.

_I refuse to Geass Shirley… _this was the only thing stopping me from Geassing Rivalz and Nina, the potential and unwanted Geassing of the only person I felt anything for.

"Lelouch can you help us out here for a second we have pictures here that we took, and they need to be brought to the photography club so they can be put in the yearbook."

"Sorry Milly, don't have time right now."

"There he goes again trying to shirk off work." Rivalz said deciding to chime in unnecessarily.

Has anyone ever told you that you're a pain in the ass? I thought while sneering mentally.

"No that's not it; I just have things I need to get done that are very time sensitive. Henceforth I do not have time to be running errands."

"Oh come on Lulu it's not that hard just hand these to one of the members of the photography club." This input came from Shirley herself.

_Well Shirley just asked me… I lose._ I faked a sigh, deciding to play this off nonchalantly.

"Okay then, for you I can make time." I then walked up and took the photos from Milly being sure to wink at Shirley suggestively.

Unable to keep the devilish smirk off my face I ignored everyone's reactions and simply turned to leave.

_I'll just Geass some poor bastard into doing this job for me._

And I intended to do just that, quickening my pace in the courtyard I spied several potential candidates walking around or sitting down on the provided tables and benches. I settled for the closest group, it consisted of four girls. Two blondes of medium height and of a lien stature, and a brunette who was similarly endowed. One of the group stood out significantly, despite her being shy and timid looking. It was large busted redhead who sat towards the edge of the table that all the girls occupied.

"This will do…" I said softly as I approached them. I stood at the head of the table for brief moment so they could notice me. Smiling calmly I started with.

"Excuse me ladies, how are you all today?" I found it odd when a hint of recognition flashed in most of their eyes.

"Oh hello vice president!" The slightly taller blonde responded with. "what's up?" My brain almost completely froze as I realized that most if not all of the student body here recognized me as the vice president. And that I determined might prove to be less of an asset than one might think.

Hardly missing a beat I flicked on my Geass and began the order trying to direct it at all of them.

"{Would you be so kind as to deliver these to the photography club, and be sure to let them know that the student Council wants them put into the yearbook… At their own discretion of course.}" Three of them nodded slightly and stood taking the pictures from me and going about their assigned business.

However one of the girls remained. For brief moment I panicked believing that my Geass may have not worked. Getting my brain into overdrive I searched for plausible solutions.

_More than likely she just wasn't making eye contact with me when I gave the order. _Despite the fact my business here was completed this slight fluke caused me to inspect the remaining redhead a bit more thoroughly.

From the looks of it she appeared to be very physically fit, not to mention her very attractive large curves in all the desirable areas. My mind began to wander further towards the gutter as I continued inspecting her.

"umm… Excuse me?" I flinched slightly "what are you looking at?" a ridiculous smile coming to my face, I opted for the easy way out.

_All forces retreat, pullback!_ "{obey me…}" This time I directed my Geass towards her individually being sure to make eye contact.

"Please forget this ever happened."

"{Understood.}" Although I found her response and confirmation rather formal I blew it off, walking away aiming once again for the student Council room.

This time I entered through the back, being confident that I would run into no one on the Student Council my strides were quick and deliberate. Reaching the door to CC's room I opened it, not bothering to knock. It was literally a mirror copy of my own room, aside for some slight furniture rearrangement. Double checking the bathroom and still finding nobody left me a slightly disheartened.

_Dammit, where could she be? This is a very time sensitive matter… If I don't fix this soon that guy is going to be screwed… She might be waiting for me in my room, who knows she might even want to talk to me about something. Not that she ever gives up any useful information._

Determining that my room was the next best place to look, I quickly took off in that direction. My steps even faster than previously, I literally threw open the door to my quarters. The sickening sensation hit me like a brick. The smell of burnt meat was in the air. My mind immediately convulsed as I recalled the gray monstrosity that that had assaulted me when I tried to regain my memories.

I sensed something behind me not knowing who or what it might be I quickly juked left and spun around while reaching into my breast pocket producing my Beretta in record time. The first thing that came to view was the large gray hand with long thin fingers, my sight following up the sickly looking arm all the way to the ungodly looking, lipless face some strange being.

Had I been a second later it would've managed to wrap its hand around my throat. For one arm was partially extended, mere inches from my jugular, windpipe, and carotid arteries.

Biting back the urge to scream and unload the entire magazine, I settled for a quick question.

"What the fuck do you want?" the large purple orbs that were sunk deep into its skull, widened slightly at the question.

"You were expecting me?" the deep inhuman voice asked astonished.

"To an extent, I knew of your existence beforehand. From when you stopped me from regaining my memories… I had a camera trained on myself during the entire incident… For documentation purposes of course." My left eye twitched and sweat began to build on my brow, but despite this I managed to speak with a flat and level voice, although it was beginning to show signs of distaste.

"Well then… At least that partially gets you over the shock of seeing me." It paused "although I must say your reflexes are significantly faster than the first time we met." My mind quickly wondered if I had contact with this being before I lost my memories, but I quickly put that thought away for another time as I pressed on with questions.

"Once again, what do you want?" The skin around its mouth opened up in conjunction that conveyed a smile of sorts.

"I'll be straight with you; I'm here to amuse myself… And I find you can do just that."

_What? What the hell is with all these strange characters coming up to me and asking me for things? Am I some sort of freak magnet?_

"Next question, what or who are you?" A joint popped in the creatures other arm as it flexed.

"Always so straight to the point, I suppose that is natural, you don't feel completely in control, not that I can bla-"I lost my patience.

"Answer the question!" The beings eyelids narrowed some. In response I pulled back the hammer to my Beretta.

"You may call and refer to me as Gray Jack. As to what I am… I don't remember anymore I believe I might be what most humans would call Satan or a demon of some sorts. However it's been so very long since I spontaneously came into existence, so as you can imagine I'm not quite sure what I am."

"Next question, do you know what happened to my memories?" the creatures smile returned, significantly wider than last time.

"I was waiting for that question, I have your memories." My mind went blank with shock as I quickly realized that Gray Jack had stolen my memories somehow.

"Why?" The hand that was closest to my throat twitched slightly.

"Like I said, I'm here solely to be amused. And from what I've seen so far things are significantly more amusing than they were in your previous state." Knowing the source of my amnesia was rather comforting, or I should say would have been… Had it not been a huge monster like being that had turned up as the source.

"{Give me my memories back.}" I settled for using my Geass, tired of beating around the bush. A brief pause then ensued until crude laughter emanated from Gray Jack causing his hand near my throat to edge away slightly.

"I wasn't quite sure, but now that you've tried to use it on me I know for a fact. Your little magic trick won't work on me." I grit my teeth and frustration.

Fuck. Was the only angry coherent thought I could form. That seemed to be happening a lot today.

"Next question." The malice is practically dripping off my words at this point. "What is the purpose of showing yourself to me today?"

"As I've previously stated multiple times, your situation is purely for my amusement… And while perusing your thoughts earlier I noticed you are about to embark upon a potentially dangerous path-" My eyes widened.

"Stop!" I tried to clear my head. "You can read my thoughts?" Jack took amusement to my fear of his ability.

"Yes, all the way down to your subconscious."

_Dammit, this eliminates one of my strongest assets against this thing… Well since I know you can hear me continue what you're saying a moment ago. _Jack nodded and continued.

"As I was saying, I noticed you are about to embark upon the warpath, so to speak. I also noticed that your physical abilities are somewhat lacking, despite your quickness and even quicker reflexes."

"I have Geass, winning a fight would be child's play." I said purely to defend my pride. Jack sighed because of my reaction.

"Yes yes that's all good and dandy. However you determined yourself that you require eye contact, and this Geass won't help you run from something dangerous, nor will it help you take down someone who's wearing any form of eye protection." I wanted to argue with it; however I could not deny the logic behind these points.

"Very well what you have in mind?" the moment these words left my lips Gray Jack lunged forward completely enveloping my throat with his incredibly large hand.

I saw stars immediately, my body singeing and tingling all over… It was painful but not unbearably so.

Exhaling sharply, I came to my senses and pulled the trigger twice. Both rounds struck Jack in the forehead.

He fell over onto the ground, presumably dead. The moment his hand disconnected contact with me the sensations stopped.

"Glad that's over… but I wish I knew what 'that' was." Movement directly in front of me immediately stole my attention.

"That, as you so articulately put it was a physical augmentation." My brow raised itself involuntarily. It was clear I was in shock from Jack getting up after taking two 9mm's to the head.

"You will notice and that your physical well-being is much better off than it was a few moments ago… However I couldn't do all the work for you, but your muscles should build up rapidly throughout the next few weeks." Jack paused to smile wickedly at me.

"So as long as you give yourself proper nutrition that is… lots of iron and fiber should do the trick. But then again you should also focus on calcium too."

"Okay now that I know you can't die… well nothing really. There's not a whole lot I can do now, assuming I can't find a way to restrain you if the need be." I paused in order to return to handgun to my breast pocket.

"Then again even if I did restrain you, you would probably do that magic teleporting thing." Gray Jack raised an arm along with one finger in the air in order to correct me.

"Interdimensional matter teleportation." I blinked twice. The concept was easy enough to wrap my head around.

Essentially you disassemble matter and reassemble it somewhere else within the same dimension, but at a different location and/or time.

However what I did not understand is how he pulled it off, or why he did not do something more useful with this ability.

"Is that why it smells like burnt meat every time you come around?" Gray Jack nodded once with an approving smile.

"Carbon and atomic searing caused by fiction due to high speed reassembly."

That explains why he's not wearing anything, clothes would just be torn apart and disintegrated with those types of forces being applied to them.

"Precisely!" Jack said almost emphatically. "And as much as I would love to stick around here and have my secrets picked apart by you, I have other business to attend to. So I bid you farewell for now… If you ever desperately need me to save your ass, feel free to run around circles with your arms flailing while calling out my name… I'll be sure to show up and save you."

"Duly noted…" I said with an air of disbelief. Gray Jack then turned around and while he was doing so an enormous flash of light blinded me. And the smell of burnt meat filled the air once more amplifying its already present intensity.

"That was fucking weird…" I said to myself, feeling a bit of faintness due to shock and blood pressure.

_But I can't be overcome by this now, like that creepy bastard said… I'm embarking upon the warpath, and I'm about to piss off an entire nation just so I can feel good about myself._

Lightly slapping myself on the face to increase awareness I began to formulate a plan to save Suzaku Kururugi.

_I need to find a theatre or drama club here… Or perhaps the pottery club. _I nodded once agreeing with myself as I made my way towards the door ignoring the potential to lie down and sleep in a comfortable bed with semi-familiar surroundings.

"Right, first order of business… Protecting my identity, secure an alias." I said this to no one in particular as I set out to accomplish my still formulating plan.

TO BE CONTINUED SOON, NEXT CHAPTER….


	10. Geass: A mask and a plan

Audacity chapter 10

*You will notice in this chapter I made a bit of a tactical blunder. I described the doors in Ashford Academy as an ordinary type of door… When in fact the vast majority of them slide open and closed automatically. If you have a problem with me sneaking in and changing all the doors one night without anyone there knowing, then that is just too damn bad.*

RESPONSE TO QUESTION ASKED BY Smilodon975, who apparently was too lazy to sign in… lol. But to answer your question accurately, I intend to follow the basic of events of R1. Depending on how things go will dictate whether or not R2 is even necessary. As for the second part of your question. No things will not become a crazy cluster fuck, so to speak, Gray Jack will be the only otherworldly interference other than my main character. If any other explanations are necessary please inform me and I will be happy to answer.-

RESPONSE TO Eliya Shirwood. To answer the spear point of your analysis, yes you are correct in saying that most of the 'cast' has yet to take direct questioning to 'Lelouch' due to his change in behavior. However please be assured that they're both taking notice of and planning to confront him about that. And to clarify about his choice of crap to take with him, the gun and knife were both brought due to our shared paranoia of going somewhere unarmed; the computer was the next best thing at least in my opinion. Not to mention when some multidimensional being demands you pick three items at random you usually don't make the best choices. I'm not trying to shoot down your thoughtful review; I'm just covering my own proverbial ass. In fact I sincerely, sincerely appreciate your review and would be absolutely delighted if you were to break it down chapter by chapter. And on a side note, the now destroyed computer was a Windows 7.

Finding the materials to make a mask was more of a pain in the ass then I previously anticipated. At first I found it was easy enough to find the drama club's costume room… But what I found was hardly my style. So I ended up looking for the pottery club, which as it turns out has more members than one would expect.

What ended up being produced was a simple dull white mask made of hardened clay with two eyeholes. Still not quite my style. So as a result I ended up trudging around the campus for about two hours in search of someone who could paint. I came across the resident art teacher Mr. Booth. I ended up telling him I wanted a smiling skull with pointed teeth permanently painted onto the front of this mask. And with a little help from my Geass it became his top priority.

This left me with the planning sequence which had yet to be fully thought out. I figured worst-case scenario I would just go up there stop the funeral like procession to his trial that they had arranged, and Geass the man in charge. Thereby securing my objective. However I would still be stuck with the obstacle of escaping unfollowed and unharmed.

I wasn't fond of the thought of being shot in the back by an overly patriotic police officer or citizen, nor did I think it would be fun if someone found out where I returned to.

Logically speaking, assuming that I can escape unharmed, all I really have to do is get to an abandoned building and say okay you're free now. What happens after that, I don't really give a crap. At that point I am no longer responsible for him.

I sighed in frustration, leaning back further into the revolving chair within the student Council room. The computer in front of me provided me with lots of useful information, including where this parade like procession would be held and at what time. They were literally broadcasting it, the only thing that they had yet to do was put a price on the tickets that they were likely to force people to buy in order to gain a viewing.

_I'll need to acquire something along the lines of a smoke grenade, but will that be enough to stop them if they shoot at me blindly? I'm sure they have more than just conventional weapons at their disposal… Knightmare frames… I can't remember a single thing about them._

This gap in my knowledge genuinely confused me. I literally saw myself piloting one, so how hell can't remember how to use it? Many if not all other forms of basic information such as math skills, phone numbers, passwords, chemistry knowledge and many other things were still within my grasp.

However anything outside of that, like history, personal or otherwise, and family and friends was completely out of my circle of knowledge.

"Not my biggest problem right now." I said to myself in order to shake the thought away.

_I'm not going to go there unarmed either, there's a very serious chance that I'm going to have to shoot my way out of somewhere. In that case I'm going to want something automatic- preferably small._

I searched for places I could purchase weaponry- both conventional and otherwise- on the computer. Several of them popped up most of them were close to the inner city. One of them stuck out to me 'Outlooks firearms and supply' apparently was the most successful and largest private security supplier around.

"Looks like I'm going into the city today." I checked my watch… Or at least I tried to. I then quickly remembered I didn't have one.

_I really need to get a watch, cuz' that's beginning that to Piss me off._ I instead reached into my lower chest pocket and pulled out my phone. The time was 12:34. I smiled. That gave me plenty of time to conduct my business and then maybe test out the so-called physical augmentations I had allegedly received.

_But now that I think about I am really hungry. Almost to the point of being ravenous._

I turned back to the computer screen to quickly memorize the address of my destination. Immediately afterwards I closed all the applications I'd been running. Not bothering to turn the screen off I made my way to the door. The brief moment before my hand made contact with the doorknob was the very same moment with the door opened quickly.

THUD!

The sound was very audible, not to mention painful. I looked upwards with my eyes in order see who had struck me, fully prepared to chew them out. From my left eye all I could see was the white door. But I immediately calmed down once I realized what my right eye viewed. With my anger sated I backed up and opened the door for her while rubbing my head to lessen the pain.

"I'm sorry Lulu, are you all right?" I couldn't help but burst out in laughter as she gave me the puppy dog eyes while asking me this.

"What! I'm serious are you okay?" I stopped laughing but kept a sly grin.

"Yes I'm fine." I looked down into her arms were she was holding an incredibly large stack of papers.

"What's this?" I asked as I motioned to take it from her. The stack was quite heavy surprisingly but I discounted this as I placed it on the table.

"Just some miscellaneous paperwork for the student Council."

"Hey Shirley?" She looked up to me after taking a seat. "Wanna go to a movie or something tomorrow?"

The straightforwardness of my question caused her to blush. But regardless she nodded.

"Sure… Yeah that sounds great, what time?" She smiled sweetly at me. I thought for a moment and tried to find a time that would not interfere with my illegal activities.

"Around eight o'clock or so… Give or take a few minutes." I turned to leave quickly, trying to say goodbye and get out of there without being questioned as to where I was going… But that didn't work at all.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" she asked politely.

_Balls…_ I swore internally. I grit my teeth and smiled nervously while turning my head to face her.

"Well, umm, I…"

"What's wrong? Don't wana tell me?" She teased playfully. I sighed in defeat.

"Well actually I was trying to lie." I paused "but I find it awfully hard to do when I'm talking to you."

Shirley giggled lightly.

"But to answer your question I'm going to an arms store to buy things illegally. Peace!" I said this quickly and loudly as I began to haul ass out of the student Council building. I laughed cheerfully as I heard an echoing 'What!' come from down the halls.

My legs carried me surprisingly fast, I took this down as field test number one for my alleged augmentations.

_Cardio…_ I thought check. I made my way to the street after find the exiting the Academy grounds. Slowing down I made it to the corner of the sidewalk and motioned for a taxi. Surprisingly enough one was very forthcoming almost immediately. I slip inside quickly and told the driver the address of my destination.

_Now I'm obviously going to have to do something about those knightmare frames. If I could find where they are located I can always Geass the technicians that work on them and rig some sort of explosive to blow them up remotely._

I paused briefly as I realized something.

_But I don't want to make this look like an act of terrorism… I'm the only one who's done anything wrong here. So need to blow them up in a nonlethal area, if that's possible. Simply disabling them will do nicely._

This situation really irked the hell out of me, there were so many things that could go wrong. Even the slightest variable could completely change how things turn out.

The amount of support they have available.

Their willingness to negotiate.

My ability to persuade them, legitimately or otherwise.

Whether or not Suzaku was physically in good enough condition to stand and escape without me carrying him.

Whether or not they send someone to follow me.

And a whole shit storm of other things that could present themselves to me at any point in time during the process.

_My best bet is to get an incredibly large smoke bomb, or several smoke grenades at least. The larger an area I can cover and make myself useable in, the better_

I took a look at the scenery through the window- I was in the city now, it wouldn't be long until I got to my first destination.

_And there is a possibility that they might mistake smoke bombs as a chemical attack. If that's the case, they're going to be pissed. The entire plan is almost completely pivotal around one thing… whether or not I can Geass the man in charge, if it turns out I can't, not only do I have to use the smoke immediately but I also succeed in making myself look like an ass._

"Driver, how much longer?" the taxi driver looked into the rearview mirror briefly.

"Where about 15 blocks away." I nodded pleasantly, absentmindedly noticing I had failed to put on my seatbelt. I double checked all the items on my person making sure everything was in its place. I even went so far as to flick my Geass on and off. Apparently the thought of walking into a store full of people that more than likely had guns on their person made me nervous. I was snapped out of my internal musings as the car lurched to a halt causing my face to slam into back of the driver's seat. The man turned around to speak.

"That'll be 43-" I cut him off by speaking over him.

"{Forget you ever drove me here and remove all evidence of me being in this cab}" not bothering to double check my command I opened the door and exited the vehicle. Stepping onto the sidewalk I looked up at the store that was before me. There are two small windows that of which were barred heavily with reinforced steel, cement structure had several cracks in it. The sign at the front that simply said 'outlooks' was faded and chipped. I looked to my left and right suspiciously… Duly noting that this was not a friendly part of town.

"Borderline ghetto…" I dubbed it as such as I walked over to and opened the more than likely bulletproof glass door. Once inside the scenery immediately changed. It was almost extravagant all the walls are white and ornate with golden trim and elaborate light fixtures. There was a display wall with multiple rifles, handguns, weapon attachments, and other such firearm paraphernalia along the back wall behind a simple white counter.

A man in his late 40s slightly graying hair on the edges walked up to me, he wore a suit with a name tag that said 'Day manager; Douglas'

"Good evening sir, what can I do for you?" he spoke clearly and with distinction no accent detectable. Clearly this man was most skilled with dealing with clients. I smirked arrogantly hoping to be perceived as someone who had lots of money to spend.

"As you can imagine I'm here to buy some guns, and as much ammunition as I can walk away with." The man wrote both his hands together once I emphasize the word guns. I knew for a fact he had recognized the plural.

_Probably gets paid on commission._

"oh excellent, do you have something in mind, or perhaps I could recommend something." We both walked up to the counter, he moved behind it and turned on the computer at the desk.

"first order of business, I also need to acquire some magazines for the Beretta series. Preferably G elite… 92 FS if you don't have those." Douglas then looked at me quizzically and raised both eyebrows nervously.

"I'm sorry sir but I've never heard of that brand." Saying that I was shocked would be an understatement.

_How can a gun store manager not know of the Beretta series? It's incredibly popular in… In… what the fuck. That's weird I can't remember… Where this thing was made._ I shook my head to clear it. If he didn't know I would show him. I lifted my left hand into the air in order to show that I meant no harm, shortly after I slowly and deliberately slid my right arm into my breast pocket and removed my Beretta. Flipping it into the air with one fluid motion I caught it by the muzzle, ejected the magazine and the chambered round. Placing the firearm onto the table I slid it towards him.

"This is a Beretta, 92 G elite to be specific." Douglas picked up the firearm gingerly and inspected it. For a few moments he said nothing deftly turning the gun around and looking at it from multiple angles.

"Sir. I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this. I'm sorry but we don't carry anything for this, but I do thank you for this wonderful experience… It's not every day I get to see a unique gun." I quickly decided to play along, not wanting to say something stupid.

"Well, if that's the case can you have parts specially made if I provide the specs, or an already existing piece?" Douglas nodded once and smiled.

"Certainly Mr…?"

"Lamperouge." I filled in. I put the magazine and loose round onto the table as well. "since I have to hand those to over for a while I'll need replacement and got on top the other purchases I intended to make. What you have to offer me in the way of handguns?"

([{A.N.}]) Since most of you don't have explicit firearm experience/knowledge I will skip most of the technical bull crap where possible. ([{END A.N.}])

"Is it safe for me to assume that you would like something similar in size and weight to your original piece?"

"Indeed it is."

"Excellent, please follow me down stairs Mr. Lamperouge." I blinked in surprise. I never consider that this establishment would have a downstairs, more than likely it was a firing range and storage room of some sorts. Following Douglas to a back door which led downwards confirmed my suspicions. They were three separate compartments down a large firing lane at the end of the range there were several human shaped black targets with a white outlines and numbers etched into them.

"Please take a position in one of the posts I'll be back with a selection shortly." I did as I was asked and took a position in the center divider. Looking downrange I noted the distance to be about 30 yards at most.

_How am I going to word the question 'do you sell smoke bombs and/or grenades?'… That one's probably going to require Geass._ I didn't have long to ponder anything other than that, for Douglas quickly returned with a rolling cart. The top of the card was covered with an individual red velvet Plush cushion on which was adorned with multiple handguns for my choosing.

"Is it safe to assume they are all loaded?" I asked not bothering to take my eyes away from the firearms.

"Yes please inspect them to your heart's content."

"You don't have to tell me twice." I said as I reached for a USP 45 with what appeared to be a laser sight. (The handgun that you see most frequently throughout the original series.) Checking the left side of the gun for the safety, I noticed it was off.

_Good, he trusts me not to shoot myself or him accidentally._ I extended my arm and positioned my body accordingly as I aimed at the center target. Once the center of the target was in the middle of my sights I exhaled slowly. On a side note I remembered I only had 12 rounds to the magazine.

SHPWEE! Was the noise that came from the muzzle as I pulled the trigger once.

_Internally suppressed? Interesting… Sounds kind of goofy if you ask me._ Ignoring the cartoonish noise the gun made I pulled the trigger again.

SHPWEE! This time I focused on the recoil. It was more than the Beretta had produced… But then again it was more powerful too. Satisfied with my ability to control the recoil I fired in rapid succession.

SHPWEE! SHPWEE! SHPWEE! I paused to readjust. SHPWEE! SHPWEE! SHPWEE! SHPWEE! SHPWEE! SHPWEE! SHPWEE!

The slide locked in the backward position as the gun clicked empty. Twirling it on my index finger I placed it on the table in front of me.

"I like it… But it sounds strange." Douglas nodded politely and motioned for me to try another.

What I reached for next was a Glock 17. I didn't know what caliber this one was for the Glocks had many different calibers for the same model. I was excited to find out. Extending my arms, gun in hand I fired.

BAAH!

"Definitely a 9 mm." I ignored the slight ringing in my ears and continued, knowing full well that there should be 16 more rounds in the mag.

BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! BAAH! I couldn't help but laugh slightly that the speed of my shots, most of them were clustered within 8 inches of each other on the target.

"So far that ones the best." Putting down the Glock on the right side of the table I reached for another weapon. It was a… actually I didn't know what this was. It was an ugly piece of crap if you ask me. Holding it up closer at eye level I read the side of it 'Highpoint 45 ACP' it's blocky construction made it ugly to behold yes, however it was small, which meant it was easily concealable. Once more aiming downrange I fired.

TUK! Lots of recoil for such a little guy. But I realized it was due to its small size that it was unable to use its own weight to stymie movement. Taking my time on this one I fired over and over again counting an additional nine shots. This led me to conclude that it had 10 rounds to a magazine. I placed this one on the right side of the table for I also decided to purchase it… despite the fact that it looked like it had been sat on by an elephant.

_That one will make a nice boot gun. _I joked to myself as I turned to view the last remaining firearm. I immediately recognized it as a Desert Eagle.

"You can keep that one, I don't feel like breaking my wrist." I said as I pointed towards the .50 caliber handgun.

"It has lower caliber variants if you're interested?" Douglas inquired.

".44 And .357 I know. However it's too big and flashy for my tastes, so instead I'll take the Glock and the High Point. I would also like cases for the both of them as well as all the magazines you have available for the two."

"Any attachments that you could think of Sir?" I thought about it for a moment. Silencers made things harder to conceal, and if I didn't keep them on the gun at all times I'll have to attach it before using it.

_Too bad silencers are illegal in most… Most what? Dammit there it is again, my huge Flippin gap in memory._

"Holsters for the pair, I would also like 1000 rounds for each, packaged separately of course." I smirked as Douglas nodded happily.

_I'm sure he thinks I'm going to be spending a fortune… to bad for him Geass picks up all my tabs._ I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was 2:38. Although I had yet to acquire an automatic weapon as I had hoped. I concluded that my business here, for now at least was done, save for the smoke device.

"Mr. Douglas?" I called getting his attention. "{Everything I purchase here will be on the house, anything that is not in stock you will order for me immediately. You always remove the evidence of my purchases once I have received my merchandise. Any special requests I have are to be fufilled to the best of your abilities.}" I breathed in after the command. It was quite easily the longest one I had issued yet.

"{As you wish Sir.}" Came his courteous confirmation.

"Wonderful… put together the things I've asked for and I'll be on my way." He quickly got to work gathering up the firearms I requested as well as assembling the materials that were specified.

I still had much to do, and very little time to do it. But I was determined to free Suzaku. Nobody takes the fall for me just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, not even a so-called honorary Brittanian.

On a side note, I noticed I was painfully hungry… Probably need to fix that too.

TO BE CONTINUED SOON, NEXT CHAPTER. WOOT!


	11. Geass: A loaded gun

Audacity Chapter 11

*In case you're interested I have a poll on my profile regarding the story, any input in that direction would be much obliged. On a side note I've noticed my voice is getting deeper despite the fact that I hit puberty a good while ago, this tends to make the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software bit more difficult to use because of my change in tone and pitch. Oh well whatever not many reviews to respond to this time around so I guess I'll be talking to myself for now…*

I could immediately tell that carrying around this large case containing both firearms I recently purchased would become a hassle, primarily because it weighed over 30 pounds. So I ended up Geassing a random bystander to carry it all the way over to Ashford Academy and wait for me by the main gate with the package in hand.

I made sure, of course, to put the Glock in my breast pocket along with three extra magazines in my lower breast pocket next to my cell phone.

Next on my agenda was finding a police officer or someone affiliated with the military. This was necessary because I needed to find out where they kept the Knightmares scheduled for use at tomorrow's 'event'. Sadly, however, I ended up getting distracted by a sandwich stall. Unable to ignore my intense hunger, I purchased two sandwiches: one with turkey and cheese and one with ham and cheese.

'I'm not just going to randomly find a police officer hanging around…' I thought as I tore into the ham sandwich first, devouring it eagerly. My best bet is probably to call the police and have them take me to where I can find someone in the military, then have the military personnel take me to the Knightmares.

I walked aimlessly for about 12 blocks until I found a suitable place to sit. The best seat happened to be a bench near the edge of a park.

I was well over halfway done with the sandwich, and at that point I realized that I would need an address for the police to locate me. I considered checking my phone for some GPS function of sorts, but just as I was pulling out the phone, I lucked out; somehow I had failed to notice a police cruiser parked near the corner of the sidewalk not 50 feet away.

_Well that's convenient, but I feel kind of stupid for not seeing that earlier._ I quickly finished the last of the sandwich and walked briskly up to the cruiser with confidence.

Inside the cruiser was a man in his early thirties fashioned in an officer's hat and a light blue shirt with padded shoulders and gold buttons. Overall, the man looked quite sharply dressed. I walked over to the driver's side and stopped next to the door.

"Excuse me? Could I have a moment please?" I asked politely. The officer rolled down the window and leaned his head out. Shortly after, he made the mistake of making eye contact with me. I flicked on my Geass and gave the command.

"{Obey me.}" The officer seized up briefly only to quickly respond to the command.

"{Yes sir.}" I quickly walked around to the other side of the vehicle, opened the door, and took my seat trying my best not to draw attention. Shutting the door firmly behind me, I gave the next set of instructions.

"Take me to the nearest military installation." The officer turned the key, causing the car to jump to life. He put it into gear and pulled onto the road. While he was doing this, I opened up the turkey and cheese sandwich that I had yet to even begin devouring. While eating, I inspected the inside of the cruiser. Nothing was incredibly outstanding; the radio had dozens of knobs and buttons that I didn't quite comprehend, but that didn't bother me considering I wouldn't have to use it.

_I wonder what type of gun he carries?_ I turned to my left and inspected his hip. The holster was clearly present. The first thing I noticed was the fact that his gun was not magazine based, rather it was clearly a revolver. It took me only a brief moment to identify the model.

Smith & Wesson model 36. A cute little revolver… It only held five rounds of 38 special, but they whipped ass at close range. I had the urge to commandeer the firearm for my own personal use.

_I can't keep collecting handguns like this, eventually I'm going to run out of room in my pockets._

I tried to look away and continue eating my sandwich. The latter was not so difficult, but I found it increasingly difficult to restrain myself from ordering the officer to hand over his firearm. I looked out the windshield to check my surroundings. What I saw was a large castle-like construction.

_That's probably where I'm going… It wouldn't hurt to have more firepower. No, no dammit. That doesn't change the fact that I don't have room in my pockets for that thing._

I sat there for a moment, my left eye twitching in frustration while I finished up the last quarter of the sandwich. Finally my hunger was sedated for a brief period of time.

"Fuck it." I said as I gave in entirely. I turned to the officer once more and began another order.

"Surrender your firearm to me as well as its holster, also hand over any extra ammunition you have for it as well." It took the man several moments, but he managed to detach everything while using one hand and still driving.

I took a mental note that subjects appear to be less coordinated while under the effects of my Geass.

_Perhaps the longer they're under its effects the more efficient they become with ordinary actions. I suppose I'll have to test that later._

"{Here you are sir.}" The officer ended up handing me the entire belt with the firearm in the holster. I saw no extra ammunition present, nor did I see him reaching for any form of surplus, so I didn't bother pressing the matter. Crumpling up the paper that my sandwich had come in and stuffing it in my pocket, I began to inspect the piece of leather more thoroughly.

The belt was thin and simple, with several notches to adjust the size accordingly. The holster attached to it was small in comparison to others I had seen and had nothing but a single leather strap that prevented the firearm from falling out due to ordinary movement. I pulled on the leather strap causing the button to snap out of place. Pulling the hammer back to its first cocking position, I slid the cylinders out to the left. Luckily all five cylinders were loaded.

"Well at least it's loaded." I said simply. As I returned everything to its place in the holster, I decided that it would be best for it to be located on the small of my back. It took several moments and some adjustments to get the belt and holster to sit directly with conjunction to the rest of my clothing. Nonetheless, it turned out quite nicely. I flexed to the left and right while turning my upper body as far as I could.

"It doesn't protrude too much… Nor do I notice it unless something puts pressure against it. Sweet, I think I'll keep this on me all the time."

I looked out the windshield once more only to notice that the enormous castle-like building I had sighted beforehand was less than 100 yards away. I prepared myself mentally for multiple scenarios, most of which involved me simply not being able to make my way into the installation. The officer stopped the cruiser outside of a large gate that was guarded by two personnel. One soldier began walking up to the cruiser.

Quickly turning to the officer, I ordered. "You'll never speak of me entering this vehicle or having any form of interaction with you. You'll also dispose of any and all evidence of me ever being in this vehicle."

The officer nodded, and I stepped out of the vehicle with his confirmation.

"You may go about your ordinary business now." I said just before I shut the door.

I stood at my full height and looked sharply at the guard who approached me. His uniform was similar to the police officers, though it had a significantly larger amount of unnecessary paraphernalia such as tassels and golden embroidery.

"Young man, state your business here." It was a simple question, but it was not one I was determined to answer in the slightest. Knowing that my Geass was still active, I gave my command.

"{Obey me.}" On an odd side note, I couldn't help but feel like that command was getting kind of old, and I briefly considered formulating a new one that would do the same thing while sounding cooler… However, I quickly put that offhand for now.

"Certainly Sir." Said the now obedient guard.

"Tell me, where can I find the Knightmares that will be used tomorrow during Suzaku Kururugi's escort to his 'trial'?" I made sure to place the word 'trial' with a large dose of sarcasm.

"{That would be in the hangar bay on subfloor GM-six.}" I smiled wickedly at this.

"Excellent, escort me there." The guard nodded and turned.

"{Right this way Sir.}" As he began to lead me towards the primary structure and through the gates, the other guard ran up to stop both of us.

"What's going on here?" I decided that a simple command would suffice for this one.

"{Ignore any and all suspicious activity for the rest of today.}" Not bothering to observe his actions further, I motioned for the guard to carry on as he escorted me into the compound.

We headed underground for a decent while. Down many hallways and a few staircases until we reached a large elevator that looked as if it could fit an entire semi with its vast size.

More than likely this was built to fit Knightmare frames. I supposed it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn how to pilot one of these things, preferably while keeping the knowledge this time around…

It was clear this elevator went down several hundred feet underground. A few more moments of traveling and we finally stopped. A large mechanical snap ringed as both doors opened, revealing an enormous line of Knightmares. I was unable to stop myself from gasping, for truly when in person, standing in front of a Knightmare made you feel small and feeble.

"Carry on about your ordinary duties; however ignore any and all abnormalities for today." I ordered as I exited the elevator and walked towards the machines.

To the left were several consoles. In front of these consoles, seated in several chairs sporadically placed, were what appeared to be technicians and/or mechanics. I honestly couldn't tell the difference.

_And so it begins, time to see if I can use it on this many people at the same time._

"May I have your attention, everyone!" I shouted as I raised one hand. Not a single person failed to look up at me. I smirked as I continued speaking. "{Obey me.}"

*Several hours later*

I stepped out of my second taxicab of the day. I had already Geassed the driver to erase my trail and to pick up my tab. I walked towards the main entrance where I had instructed the chubby man to await my arrival. He was easy to spot since his brown suit stuck out easily amongst the high white walls of the front gate.

I simply leaned over and took the case from him, informing the man that he was to go home and forget all about the incident with me and anything related to it.

Walking into the school, case in hand, I sighed inwardly feeling a sense of relief.

_All the preparations are complete; all I needed to do was to pick up my mask and get some sleep._

With my free hand I reached inside my lower breast pocket to check the time. 6:02pm. I had been out and about for some time.

Once again I could feel the pangs of hunger beginning to gnaw at me. I took into account the words Gray Jack had spoken to me about my metabolism speeding up because of my gradually enhancing muscles... or something along those lines.

I figured I would just make myself something in the kitchen once I made it back to my dorm.

Opening the door to the clubhouse, I noticed that it was pleasantly quiet.

Finally, there are no student Council members hanging around here… I thought peacefully as I made my way down the hall. I was surprised to see the light on in the dining room area. I poked my head around to see what was going on. I saw was Nunnally being served dinner by Sayoko. The smell of food made me want to get in on the action.

"Hello!" I said trying to sound vibrant as I walked in and placed the case in the corner.

"Oh, hello big brother." Nunnally greeted.

"What are you guys eating?" I asked as I sat down in the chair next to her.

"I have made steak with baked potato and steamed vegetables, master Lelouch." I nodded feeling slightly off due to the title 'master' being added to my name.

"Is there enough for me as well?" I asked.

"Yes of course, I shall return shortly." As I waited patiently for Sayoko to return with the food, I couldn't help but wonder how a blind girl could eat without assistance. I figured if Sayoko wouldn't offer to help I would by default, otherwise I just feel plain bad.

While I was on that train of thought, it got me thinking how she had become blind in the first place.

As I recalled Milly said it was something along the lines of 'psychological trauma' that caused her blindness rather than a form of physical damage. If that's the case, would it be possible for me to reverse it with Geass?

_Considering the fact that Geass affects the mind directly… theoretically it should work as long as the damage is purely mental._

I considered this both as a test, and as an act of kindness. I mean, I may be a bad guy, but I'm not a complete asshole. If I could help the blind to see, then dammit I would do so.

Although I had Sayoko under my Geass to obey me, I figured it would be better to attempt such in private.

"Lelouch, give me your hand." I smiled politely despite the fact she could not see it. Reaching out slowly and deliberately, I placed my hand in the middle of her much smaller and delicate one.

"So how was your day, brother? What have you been up to?" I considered my response for a brief moment then decided to be truthful… for the most part.

"My day has been very productive; tedious, yet productive. I've spent most of today out and about getting in all sorts of trouble." I said the last part teasingly.

"Nothing too dangerous, I hope?" She posed this as a question.

"Oh no, of course not. I'm saving that for when I take over the world." Nunnally giggled lightly.

"I'm glad you're so lighthearted about things. Earlier I was beginning to think there was something wrong." I raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What would lead you to believe that?" Nunnally shifted slightly, almost appearing to be uneasy.

"It's just… You been acting just a little strained recently, by what Milly and the rest of the student Council were saying."

"No I'm fine really, I might've been shook up a bit by Clovis's death, but I think I'm over it." Nunnally visibly became saddened at the late viceroys' mention.

"It really is sad about brother Clovis; he was such a kind and peaceful man. I don't understand why someone would do something like that." My visage darkened some at the thought of the genocide Clovis had committed. Although I couldn't recall it directly, I was very satisfied with the fact that I killed him myself.

And at the same time I was also sickened with the fact that someone else would be my scapegoat for what was more than likely some political stunt fueled by racism.

"Did you hear that they caught the murderer?" I asked wanting to hear another side of the story.

"When did this happen?" she asked in an obviously forced neutral tone.

"A day or two ago, apparently they are going to charge one Suzaku Kururugi for the crime." Nunnally gasped at the name, which caused me to raise my eyebrow even farther this time.

"What? Say it isn't true. Suzaku wouldn't do something like that… It isn't the same Suzaku, right?" she asked desperately. At this point, my mind began to race as I quickly put point A and point B together.

_How could I have not realized that she would know Suzaku personally as well? Dammit… Now I guess I'll just have to calm her down._

"Hey hey, relax. That's why I have been out all day, I promise you it'll be just fine. I'll personally see to it." Nunnally had a quizzical look about her. Just at that moment, Sayoko came back in with the food I had asked for. Shortly afterward, she had placed it in front of me.

"Sayoko?" she looked directly at me. "Could you please give me and Nunnally some privacy, there is something I need to speak to her about." She said nothing; she simply bowed politely, and then exited the room.

I was unsure whether or not she was following the request due to my Geass, or because of her duties as a maid. I made a point to find out later.

"What do you mean Lelouch?" I turned back to Nunnally.

"What if I told you I had the power to make sure Suzaku was found innocent… not just because he is innocent. Regardless, what would you say?" Nunnally hesitated.

"I-I don't know, what do you mean Lelouch?" I paused for a moment as I considered how to best orchestrate this. I settled for the direct route.

"Nunnally," I said solemnly, "do you trust me?" The question was simple.

"Wh-… Yes of course, but what do you mean." I took a deep breath inward.

"I need you to trust me, no matter how crazy this might sound right now… I need to see if this works. If it doesn't, I'll explain it fully and entirely. Even if it does well, I'll still explain." I paused briefly.

"However, I need you to do something unusual. Okay? Will you do it for me?" Nunnally looked genuinely confused but nonetheless replied.

"Yes of course, I trust you Lelouch."

"This is going to sounding incredibly odd… I need you to hold your eyes open. Don't ask why… Just do it." Nunnally moved hesitantly at first but then nodded as she moved her soft frail hands up to her face and opened her eyes manually.

Her eyes were something that I didn't expect. They were a dull purple, they appeared to be lifeless and drained of vitality, as if someone had stolen the very soul of their existence.

_I hope this works, or I'm going to look like a dumbass._

"{Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you: see the physical world around you, regain your ability of sight!}"

This was by far the most dangerous command I had given yet. I was afraid that it would go awry.

Nunnally seized up with the power of Geass for a brief moment. Then to my ultimate surprise the life in her eyes changed drastically from dull and opaque to bright, translucent and vibrant.

It appeared to work, I just hoped she doesn't go into sensory overload and have a seizure or something. That would be bad.

"Nunnally, you should be able to see now." I thought about it for a moment, then realized there might be some repercussions, primarily because the brain had not received any optical signals for such a long period of time.

_It might strain the irises, the optic nerve, the occipital lobe, or possibly even the visual cortex. We should probably minimize her exposure to bright light as well as anything resembling an optical illusion for a good while._

"Nunnally?" I asked simply, expecting the worst yet praying for the best... What came next was far from what I expected as a man.

If it were me, I probably would've started screaming joyous obscenities. However, that just goes to show how little I know about the psyche of a little girl.

Tears began to stream from her now open eyes. She reached over slowly and carefully towards my face, cupping it with both hands. I smiled happily, content with my work.

"Lelouch… I- I can see, after such a long time... But how did you do this?" I reached up and held both her hands in mine.

"Look at my left eye. As you can see there is a birdlike symbol in it. This is called Geass, the power of the king's. I used it in order to return your sight to you." I paused for a response; when none was forthcoming I continued. "I don't know everything about it quite yet, but it was given to me by woman named CC. She's actually living in the dorm now. I'll have to introduce you to her sometime. But she gave me this power under the condition that I fulfill her wish, although I don't know what it is she wants me to fulfill."

"This is what you meant when you said you would have the power to save Suzaku?" I nodded in confirmation.

"My power allows me to force anybody to obey one order; it only works once per person and its application is limited to what that person is physically capable of doing. However when it comes to altering the person's mental state, I don't quite know its limits yet. Though it obviously managed to cure your blindness," I said with a smile.

"Thank you so much Lelouch!" she said vibrantly as she leaned over to embrace me tightly.

"It's only natural that I would do everything I could to help my sister." My thoughts weren't quite aligned with what I said, but I couldn't help but feel the situation was right.

The two of us spent the remainder dinner talking about whatever came to mind, including my new-found relationship with Shirley. I made sure to make her explicitly aware she should not strain her ability to see just yet, and avoid bright lights and the sort.

I also made sure to tell her that she should be in no rush to inform everyone else of her returned ability to see, nor was she permitted to tell anyone about my Geass.

Finally, after thoroughly devouring my dinner and tucking Nunnally into bed, I made my way back to my own room, but not before gathering the firearm's case. I stood before the door, feeling that I should be overly cautious when entering, just to be on the safe side.

I withdrew the Glock 17, and threw open the door fiercely. My mind raced which caused the world to seem as if it was slightly slower than usual as I cleared my room.

Clear left.

Clear center.

Clear rig-

"Holy shit!" I screamed barely able to restrain myself from firing.

"What the hell! What are you doing in my bed, woman?" I paused briefly. "Better yet, do you have any idea how close you just came to getting shot?"

CC shifted in my bed causing the blanket to fall down to her waist. This revealed the fact that she was wearing nothing but one of my dress shirts which was conveniently left unbuttoned. My left eye twitched in irritation and forced restraint.

"It wouldn't matter much even if you did shoot me, but then again I might hold that against you later if you did." I returned the firearm to its designated pocket and sighed deeply. Closing the door behind me, I placed the case onto the desk.

"Okay… I have a few things to address as of right now. Number one, why the hell are you in my bed? Number two, why the hell do you have no shirt, I mean bra, I mean… have some modesty dammit."

I hesitated as she shifted once more revealing more of her cleavage.

"N-number three, why are you in my room… You have your own room designated for you."

Her eyes finally levelled with me.

"To answer things in order." She started in a matter-of-fact tone. "I'm here because it's lonely by myself; I'm wearing your shirt because it's more comfortable than the straitjacket I came to you in; the third one… That's about the same as the first."

"Not interested, get out." I said with the power of an ultimatum. She didn't even so much as flinch.

"What's a' matter, you afraid of a little female companionship? Or maybe you're not into that sort of thing." I grit my teeth in frustration. Despite my best efforts, her comments were getting to me.

_Maybe I should just shoot her, be some great stress relief, that it would._

I walked over to the bed and placed one foot on the frame next to the mattress, trying to make myself appear as imposing as possible.

"You have your own room and your own bed, female companionship is not something I need to go to you for. But what I do need to go to you for is to requisition you that you get the hell out of my bed. Oh, did I mention that this requisition is mandatory?"

I let the question hang in the air with the equivalence of a threat. However, I couldn't help but get the distinct feeling I was going to lose this one.

We stared at each other for a few moments. I even went so far as to flick my Geass on and off in an attempt to show how impatient I was until finally...

"Very well, have it your way… But you don't know what you're missing. A few hundred years of experience teaches you quite a few tips and tricks, if you catch my drift." My mouth opened slightly as I fully comprehend her words. But before I could retort with anything she stood, revealing the fact that she had nothing covering her legs or ass. I was unable to stop myself from watching as she walked out of the room unnecessarily swaying her hips.

The door finally shut and she was gone.

_Well… logically, I won that one, however I can't help but feel like I just lost. Sad face._

I shook these thoughts from my head as I dressed into the pajamas I had stowed away in the bottom drawer. I made sure to leave the model 36 in the holster on the small of my back despite my sleepwear clad state. I readied myself to lay down, but just as I was about to roll onto the mattress and find sleep, a single thought hit me.

"I should probably call Shirley." I thought out loud as I fumbled around in my clothes I had discarded on the floor. It took no more than a moment for me to produce my cell phone from the disheveled heap of fabric. Not bothering to check the time, I opened the device and scrolled through the contacts list until I landed upon her name. Pressing the call button, I lifted the phone's receiver to my ear and waited through the dial tones.

On the third ring, she picked up.

"Oh hey Lulu, what's up?" I smiled softly as I fell into the groove of casual conversation.

"Well nothing really, I have some stuff that you need to come see in person tomorrow, but you're going to want to talk Nunnally about that. And before you ask, I can't tell you because it's a secret for now. But I guarantee tomorrow you'll enjoy it."

"Well that was cryptic." She stated while giggling.

"Yeah… But trust me it will be worth the small wait."

"Okay." She agreed.

"But what was up with that thing you said earlier today before you ran off? It made no sense to me." She said with a suspicious tone.

"Just like I said, I went to the city to illegally buy firearms." I paused to hear her reaction. When there was none forthcoming, I realized she was more than likely speechless. "Like I said, I'm not going to lie to you about that."

"That's sweet and all… but you can't go doing things like that. What will you do if you get caught; just think what Nunnally would go through knowing her brother was put in jail or something." I frowned slightly at the thought, but ultimately waved it off.

"Trust me, I'm more than good enough not to get caught, probably because I'm a ninja, dubbed with courtesy of Rivalz, of course." That got her laughing again, which in turn caused me to smile more. The conversation continued on for another 45 minutes until Shirley declared it to be bedtime and said good night.

There was much to be done tomorrow, but for now, I fell asleep with a content smile.

[To be continued soon, next chapter.]


	12. Geass: Cypher 01

Audacity chapter… Wait what chapter am I on? 12 okay, whatever.

*Holy Crap, for some godforsaken reason this chapter was incredibly hard to pump out… Might have something to do with my Vicodin induced pain relief, which I assure you is absolutely necessary. Primarily because I've had all four of my wisdom teeth removed. So in all seriousness you can expect me to come back to this chapter and patch up all of the mistakes I made while giggling madly.*

Response to reviews by: Blacksword Zero, EVA-Saiyajin and Alastor Pariah.=== I sincerely appreciate the support, I look forward to continuing the rest of the story and maintaining your high regard of it at the same time.

I woke up slowly, stretching and groaning while pulling the blankets off myself. I forced myself into a state of awareness by shaking my head. Idly wondering what I should wear for today aside from the mask; obviously I couldn't wear my school uniform. So I was hoping for something that would make me look, either unique and/or awesome.

I stood while stumbling slowly making my way to the dresser, leaning onto it for support I opened it to fish out one of the black tank tops. I decided this would do as well as any other article of clothing, for I had nothing less identifying in my possession, that I knew of.

Equipping my selected articles clothing and fully dressing myself I placed all my belongings in their designated pockets. With the exception of my Glock that of which I holstered under my left arm. The high point for now would have to warm the bench.

_The student Council more than likely find out about Nunnally's returned ability to see. And I can almost guarantee that someone's going to ask for details about it, I should probably go to her and get a story straightened out amongst the two of us._

I exited my room and walked over to Nunnally's. Not bothering to knock by open the door and entered. I quickly regretted my actions, for presented before me was Nunnally in the process of changing clothes, more specifically she was in the process of desperately trying to hook the clasp of her bra around her back. My mouth dropped slightly as I tried to back out without being noticed. I succeeded from what I could tell, considering the fact that there was no outburst or complaints of any kind issued towards me.

_Ewwww… little sister naked. Must. Bleach. Mind. _On a side note I couldn't help but notice that she was developing adequately for her age. My eyes widened at this thought. I then faced the wall and smacked my head against it two or three times.

"Cleanse your thoughts, puppies, kittens, ducklings, C-4." That was better. I then thought to myself.

_Do I have time for this today? I could stay here and see everyone's reaction to her ability to see… Or I could go survey the area I'm going to be operating in._

I backed away from the door and walked to the student Council room itself intending to wait at least a little while for everyone to arrive. Opening the door I was slightly amused to find Nina already there working on the computer.

"Sup?" I greeted calmly as I sat down with the head of the table facing the door.

"Oh, hello Lelouch." She returned with meekly. I couldn't help but sneer slightly, her personality seemed far too weak. I didn't understand how someone could live with themselves knowing that they were essentially a human doormat. Whatever I was scarcely interested, so instead of screwing with her I placed my head down onto the table and napped peacefully into the rest of the council arrived.

I had been asleep for may be half an hour before I heard voices. I was already awake but I had yet to rise and let it be known. Instead I tried to identify the voices.

"I don't know he just said that it would be worth the small wait." This was clearly Shirley's voice.

"Oh ho… sounds very vague if you ask me." Naturally Rivalz was the one to put in the snide comment.

"Maybe he's going to ask you out on a date?" this was Milly of course.

"N-no, we already have something set up for later tonight." Milly cooed at this.

"What is it? Dinner, movie, and then…" she trailed off suggestively.

"A-a-and then what?" Shirley stammered out clearly flustered over the thoughts of any and all extracurricular activities.

At this point I had enough, I rose slowly from my position in attaining my full height and lining my vision over to Nina.

"Nina, will you please do me a favor and go get Nunnally. She has something she wants you all to see." Nina seemed a bit shocked, but overall complied albeit in a delayed manner.

"I'm not accepting questions right now so don't bother." I stated to everybody present. I walked up to Shirley and smiled at her, and was comforted when she smiled back. Despite the fact that I was contradicting myself it was more fun to do this. I leaned over and whispered into Shirley's ear.

"Nunnally can see again… she's no longer blind." I was immediately rewarded with an earsplitting.

"WHAT!" which caused Rivalz and Milly to turn around skeptically.

"Shhh… the only reason I told you is because I don't want you to faint from shock or something." My smile doubled in size as I saw the disappointed face of Milly. I searched for Rivalz however I was unable to find him. But my search quickly ended the moment I was put into a full Nelson from behind.

"All right buddy, spill it." Although I knew it was entirely playful couldn't help but feel threatened by his actions on an internal level.

"Wait; hold on, I can explain… You know what on second thought go ahead and kill me." Shirley deadpanned that this.

Milly then moved in for a tickle attack as for some ungodly reason she decided this was the best course of action. I made a high-pitched and girly laugh that I did not even know I was capable of producing as she proved her fingers around my midsection.

They consistently questioned me throughout my convulsions.

"Dammit Shirley, help me out here!" she pursed her lips and put her index finger to her chin and pretended to think for a moment.

"No, I think I'll just watch and enjoy." It was funny of course; however I couldn't help but think that I would have to get back at her somehow. Naturally it would involve a lot of physical contact.

Suddenly I was dropped plain and simple, I hit the floor. I was about to complain and protest but then my eyes spotted the wheelchair that of which could only belong to Nunnally

_Excellent, now I can play it up. _I began to crawl towards Nunnally theatrically as I dramatically pleaded.

"Nunnally… Save me…" This of course elicited a girlish laugh from Nunnally. However everyone else was absolutely shocked. Completely taken aback by the fact that Nunnally's eyes were wide open. However the silence was short lived as literally the entire Council began bombarding her with questions.

I was surprised to even see Nina engaging in conversation almost emphatically. I smiled at the sight. It was a genuinely heartwarming picture. I lifted myself up for floor and continued viewing them in all their innocent glory.

But somewhere in the back of my head and ominous thought loomed and came together.

_Why don't I feel like I belong here… It's possible I don't. Then again it might have something to do with how unstable my personality is. _

My thoughts darkened even further as I thought about what I was going to do later that day.

_I need to keep them out of business like that, logically speaking the best way to do this would be to alienate myself. But I'm not sure whether I can handle breaking my only solid hold right now._

Realizing that I still had to collect my mask, I began to make my exit whilst saying my goodbyes.

"Well is much as I would love to stay here, I have things I have to get done." I emphasize the phrase 'have to' as I quickly invoked Shirley into a hug. Leaning over to Nunnally I kissed her forehead.

"Be sure to avoid bright lights please, we don't want you straining your sight unnecessarily."

"Where are you going big brother?" My heart clenched slightly at this question. I didn't want to lie… But I certainly couldn't tell the truth, not all of it at least.

"Need you ask? I'm going to be epic!" I said while smiling wickedly and making in explosion motion with my arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shirley questioned. I sighed inwardly.

_I feel awfully trapped; the only two people I don't feeling like lying to ask me all the questions I don't want to answer… time to be nondescript._

"You'll probably see it on the news. Peace!" I said this is I ran quickly out of the student Council room. I heard a muffled and frustrated yell come from the quickly shut the door as I made my way down the hallway.

_All I need to do now is collect my mask, get in position, and wait. _I grinned wickedly, I had all the information I could possibly need. Now all I needed to do was **act. **

***Waiting in the crowd***

The throng of people was incredibly aggravating to push through, regardless I put it off for now because I would need to blend seamlessly in the crowd until the moment I took off my jacket and put on my mask. I made sure that my holster with the Glock was completely concealed underneath my jacket, and that the jacket had no qualities amongst its pockets that could identify me in any way shape or form.

I fought back the urge to kick some old man in the chest as he elbowed me by accident.

_God I hate crowds… Where the hell is that procession? I'm antsy enough as it is and then they go and make me wait, bastards. _

I had already acknowledged the fact beforehand that there was a distinct possibility I would have to kill in order to get out of here safely, regardless of whether I accomplished my objective or not.

Less than 30 seconds after I'd made my way closer to the front of the throng two knightmares came rolling down the street at a leisurely pace. I realized this must be their contingent forward guard. There were guards at the edge of the crowd, however there were far too few and spread out the stop me assuming I kept a decent pace.

I began to sweat nervously. It escaped me fully and entirely but for some inexplicable reason I couldn't fight back the sadistic smile I had on my face. The casual observer would probably think I was bat-shit insane.

There it was finally, the vehicle that of which transported Suzaku Kururugi. I edged forward slightly while unzipping my jacket removing my arms from the sleeves. Letting it fall to the ground I pulled the mask up from between my belt and slid it onto my face.

**Click…**

And just like that, I felt all sense of morality desert me. My persona was now hidden and I could show the deepest darkest pits of my personality with impunity.

I took along and deliberate strides until I stood in the middle of the street, the knightmares stopped and the crowd quieted down and began murmuring amongst themselves. I grit my teeth in anticipation as who I assumed was the man in charge spoke up.

"What have we here, some sort of prank? Identify yourself fellow, for you stand in the way of Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald!" it was amazing how in one sentence this 'Jeremiah' had managed to insult me three times.

Unfortunately at that point I couldn't help but think the insults were well deserved for I then realized I had yet to come up with a fake name to go of my fake persona.

_Balls! Ummm… Better answer quickly too. I need to get something that's hard to decipher. Actually, that will do._

"You may refer to me as Cypher," I paused and thought about how I could make it more cryptic. "Cypher 01." Oh how I wish they could see my smile beneath the mask.

"Well then Cypher, this charade going to be cut short-"

"I said Cypher 01 you dumb ass!" I cut him off by yelling this, sounding far more upset than I actually was. The margrave seemed slightly taken aback from the outburst.

"Very well then, Cypher 01! This ends now." He then produced a USP the man surprised me by not aiming at me, but rather, into the air. He fired once, in what turned out to be a signal for several nightmares to drop and surround me.

_I hope those nightmares will fall apart with the rest of them._

"Indeed it does noble! However this will turn towards my favor!" I raised my arm into the air in a wide arc and snapped my fingers once.

The result was delicious.

Every last knightmare present disassembled itself at all the joints including the knees, hips, elbows, wrists, and shoulders. I found it especially amusing when the heads came off and rolled about slightly.

I let loose a mad cackle an attempt to rattle them.

"As you can see, I'm significantly better prepared! More so than you are!" The Margrave seemed only slightly disturbed at my display of control. He did this by crawling out of the cockpit of the knightmare almost indignantly and leveling his weapon at me. It was clear he had sustained some damage from the fall, not surprising considering that the seat was slightly ejected from cockpit when the machine fell to the ground.

My eyes widened and my mind raced, this is my chance to state my terms.

"Go on, shoot me faggot! However, know that once you do that Britannians will die from my poison gas this time around!" I let the threat hang in the air for brief moment, for I knew the Shinjuku incident was still fresh in everyone's mind.

"This time Prince Clovis won't be ordering me to use this biological weapon! I'll just get use it for my own personal amusement!" I ensued with more devious laughter.

"You scum, you dare tarnish the Prince's name? His Royal highness would never employ someone such as yourself!" I leaned my head to one side as if to emulate amusement.

"Don't be so sure." I said calmly. On a side note I noticed my voice was being amplified somehow. I quickly determined it might have something to do with the cameraman not 15 feet from me and the rest of the action. "Just remember, if I die, project Nerve will go public… And you don't want that to do you?"

The falter in the margrave's understanding was evident upon his face and his body language; this became doubly true when the lowered his gun for the most part.

"What is it you want, terrorist?" In all seriousness I was becoming tired of being insulted, for some reason I felt easy to provoke. It might've had something to do with all the small arms aimed at me.

"In exchange for the lives of all these Britannians and yourselves, I wish for you to hand over to me, one Suzaku Kururugi!"

"Madness!" For the briefest moment I was tempted to shout 'madness? This is Sparta!' but considering I wasn't within kicking range, I withheld the false statement. "I can't let this prisoner go, he is charged with the crime of killing his Royal highness, Prince Clovis!"

Once again he laid down another cue for me to spout my predetermined words.

"Ahh… I almost forgot about that. Perhaps I should enlighten you, it was not **he** who killed Clovis, but rather **myself!" **gasps where abundant throughout the entirety of the gathering, civilian and soldier alike.

"Now once again, and for the last time," I lifted my hand in the air slightly as if I was to snap once more. "Give me Kururugi… Or maybe you'd rather…" I raised my semi clenched fist higher as I slowly proceeded forward. I was fully prepared to Geass and him… Assuming he did not give into my demands.

As I drew closer, the stress was clear and plastered on Jeremiahs face and features. His eyes were dilated and wild; his faced dripping with sweat while his palms were shaking. Being closer within hearing range I said with a lower tone.

"What will it be, Gottwald?" almost childlike giggles began to slip out as I felt the madness the situation take hold of me. It was like polluting oil in the water that was my soul and sanity, the feeling was encompassing as it was enthralling. And I was **absolutely** loving it**. **

Finally the margrave give up, his knees buckled as he knelt on the ground.

"Release the prisoner." He said this while barely being audible.

"What was that? I. Can't. Hear. You!" I said and almost a singsong voice.

"I said release the prisoner!" he said clearly furious. There werelooks of confusion and aggravation amongst the men gathered both on the platform and around the disheveled heaps of knightmare parts.

One brightly colored red haired man spoke up in outrage, but was quickly silenced once Jeremiah solidified his order. Kururugi was then released from the chains on the platform but not from his cuffs even less so of his neck restraint.

_Wonderful. Now to get the fuck out of here._

Suzaku walked to me slowly and apprehensively. Which was understandable, however I had her time schedule to keep. I impatiently grabbed him by the crook of his elbow and dragged him towards the crowd.

Being sure to include a mocking bow once or twice, I snaped my fingers high in the air and smoke filled the night. It turn out exactly as I had predicted.

A borderline orgasmic cluster fuck of screaming civilians, panicked policeman, and confused soldiers. Running like all high hell I made my way with the crowd and was lost to all who were present.

***An abandoned building, location unknown***

I sat there on the pile of rubble in some ghetto somewhere, slowly letting the adrenaline and absolute thrill drain from my body. This caused me to shudder involuntarily occasionally, but I was slowly regaining full control my facilities. I still felt incredibly unbalanced, but with sheer willpower I would hold.

Using the Glock I shot the chain linking the two sides of the handcuffs together, allowing Kururugi use of his hands once more. And then, in an impressive feat of strength, he broke the restraining collar around his neck.

I immediately wished he hadn't.

"You bastard, all those innocent civilians… The poison gas, how could you?" My slight grin was hidden by the mask. What the hell, I decide to explain myself to him at least.

"Uhh, hello both you and I were exposed to that crap, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it was simply a smokescreen. Besides, I don't approve of killing innocents."

"And what of the Japanese in Shinjuku." He immediately countered with.

"That was a lie; you were there when it happened. You know damn well what that capsule actually contained." His eyes widened in shock.

"You know about the girl?" I nodded once in confirmation.

"That is true I know **about** her. Personal information and/or what she actually is… That I have no clue of." I paused briefly to stand and return the Glock to its holster. Dust swirled from my movements as the building creaked unsteadily. Condensation was beginning to build up within the mask.

"Any more questions?" I asked him, preparing myself to leave.

"Just one." He paused to think. He took more than a few seconds, and this caused me to grow impatient.

"Well come on, have at thee!" I couldn't help but make this verbal push slightly overdramatic with arm movements and body language.

"Why me, I mean, why would you save me. You could've just let me take the blame for you… It makes no sense what you put yourself in harm's way to save someone you don't know." This question surprised me. Not many people get saved from an absolute death situation, and then go and question their Savior about it. But then again what did I know?

"I agree, it makes very little sense. However, seeing as that you are completely innocent… It became a matter of principle to prevent you from being a political scapegoat courtesy of my sins. So to speak" he shifted his weight onto his other foot and began rubbing his wrists.

"You're free to do whatever the hell you want now, my conscience is clear. Be see 'in ya'" I said as I idly waved my hand informally signifying a farewell. Completely ignoring anything else he had to say I made my way around the building until I reached the exit. It would be a pain the ass to find somewhere where I could take my mask off undisturbed. Not to mention I was going to have to steal a jacket from someone.

But to be honest with you all of that was completely irrelevant, I had more than enough willpower to accomplish these things. For I had a date to catch up to.


	13. Geass: Have it both ways

Audacity chapter 13.

*I feel significantly better now; I can finally feel my face and no longer and require the use of Vicodin. That aside, Merry belated Christmas and all that good stuff, may all your hopes, dreams, and crap like that happen and stuff… Meh whatever.*

Response to review by: Eva-saiyajin. Thank you, the entire purpose behind the 'reprimanding' with Jeremiah at that specific point in time was to make Cypher 01's actions and thoughts seem completely erratic, when in fact they are typically thought out and rational… But less on the rational side sometimes.

Response to review by: LEGENDRY. You have two very sharp points to your arguments; I agree with the second one I'm happy someone finally pointed this out. But when it comes the first one I must say I side with my character slightly more, despite the fact Schneizel and Suzaku were left behind to ensure things didn't go amiss, you have to remember two things about human beings. One, we die after a set amount of time… Typically. Two, people are fallible, the saying that 'if you want things done right you have to do it yourself' didn't come about from someone's employees always doing exactly what they were told in the best possible way.

And like I said, I genuinely appreciate your analysis of his position when it comes to his memories, my character will consistently try to look at things only rationally and logically, but will fail to realize that he is also an emotional being… Therefore flips his lid occasionally when he doesn't understand why he can't think a certain way.

Like when he logically builds a conclusion, makes a goal, strives towards it with all the information he has available. And then at the end of all that gets clothes lined by something unforeseeable… As you can imagine this would elicit an emotional reaction from even the most stoic of people.

As it turns out, I was unable to easily find ajacket to my liking. I ended up settling for green sweatshirt; logically speaking there was nothing wrong with it. It looked very clean and smelled just fine. However… It had no zipper meaning that it was a pullover. And because of this I was physically incapable of getting my Glock without looking like I was trying to undress.

I sighed lightly.

_It really doesn't matter I guess, I can still reach the model 36 quickly. _I checked my watch for the time… And then realized once again that I did not have one. So instead I checked my phone. 7:36. I was grateful for the extra time to clear my thoughts.

_Note to self, acquire watch within immediate future. Preferably not from someone you know._

I walked silently already knowing the address of Shirley's home due to the fact that it was registered right next to her phone number on my contacts list. It was easy to navigate once I reached a major landmark, all I had to do was count the number of turns. This method I realized, might falter if I ran across a unregistered turn somewhere, or some sort of unofficial path. But luckily the addresses in the Tokyo settlement were numbered accordingly to the location.

The buildings closer to the center of the city had significantly smaller addresses. The further you got out, the longer your address became, the numbers went off in a clockwise fashion. The buildings on the very edge of the settlements towards the south had up to six digits and typically started with the number 5 or 6. The opposite was true for the buildings towards the edge of the North, they had about six digits and more than likely had 12, 11, or 1 to begin the sequence.

Interestingly enough, as I found out, for residential areas the last name of the head of household supplemented the end of the address. Therefore I assumed some places might have the same number address, but a different name tagged at the end of it.

This is all well and good if you avidly traveled and knew specific areas well. However I was not in that position, henceforth my number of turns memorization.

_This is honestly the crap I think about when I have nothing better to do… I either need a hobby or need to get Tetris on my phone._

I thought this absentmindedly, counting another turn as I made it.

_I will find out shortly if they found some magical bullshit way of finding my identity, but then again thinking of back to it now I should've worn gloves. Better yet, I should purchased individually an entirely new outfit… _

It then occurred to me that I had no intention of ever using the cipher 01 mask at any point in time ever again. Sure, I acknowledged the fact that I probably had the media buzzing right now. And given the right circumstances I could have a lot of pull in the underground world if I continued on the current path. But to be honest I had no reason to do this, I gained nothing I wanted by becoming a revolutionary.

I didn't give a flying crap about how oppressive Britannia was, logically speaking it's Darwinism point of views were correct, simply because they made them to be as such. If Britannia was beaten back somehow they would be proven incorrect… And by extension correct once more. Power would always be wielded by the strong, otherwise you wouldn't be weak. Unless you chose not to use your power, in which case you might as well be weak.

_It's not necessarily bad to be weak. _I thought this with a shrug. _It just serves no purpose not to strive for more power when you have none. Personally, I agree with the Elevens, in that they are being treated unfairly. They are being used for their resources and manual labor and then ostracized from society. However that's what happens when you lose a war and the enemy allows you to live._

I decided idle speculation without direct experience was a moot point. I only had secondhand information and I yet to see too many examples of violent or abusive discrimination.

I looked up surprised to see my destination before me.

_No wonder I couldn't remember where I needed to turn… I'm here. _I smiled lightly, wondering idly if I should've brought some sort of gift. I immediately discounted this as I walked up to knock. The house was a nice upper-middle-class construct, neatly tended garden in the front and a large wooden door at the front of the house.

My hand paused above the stained Oak material.

_I'm nervous… I'm nervous? _I observed and questioned.

"Calm down, just act natural… Okay better yet act like legitimate human being." I inhaled deeply and knocked on the door sharply four times. This elicited sharp and hollow raps throughout the wood, which I presumed echoed through the house. Not 15 seconds later a man answered the door.

The middle-aged, loosely combed, and brown headed man was honestly one of the last things I expected to see. I immediately realized though this was probably her father. I extended a smile and my hand.

"Hello there, my name is Lelouch Lamperouge… I'm here to pick up your daughter." I scratched the back of my head nervously. "I might be a little early so I hope that's okay." I had to give it to the man, he said nothing for at least 5 seconds. He simply stared at me, his face emotionless… As if he was scrutinizing me.

Somewhere on an internal level this irked me.

"My name is Joseph Fenette, nice to finally meet the boy my daughter's been talking so much about." He took my hand and shook it firmly. I made sure to return the favor and smiled wryly.

"I hope only good things?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

"For the most part." I lost face for brief moment that this.

_For the most part huh? Must, resist, urge, to Geass him._ On a side note I couldn't help but feel like I was getting too familiar with my Geass… But then again it was my most powerful weapon so familiarity was the least of my worries.

"Why don't you come on ins-" he was interrupted by his daughter shouting.

"Daddy! I told you not to mess with him." She appeared right behind him as she opened the door fully and entirely, revealing a very comfortable looking home. Joseph raised one hand defensively.

"I haven't, I promise." Shirley eyed her father with a look of suspicion. Then turned to me and changed her expression to one of happiness.

"You're ready to go?" I asked smoothly. She nodded once jumped out in front of her father. As she tried to pull me off by one arm I stopped briefly and looked up at Joseph. In the brief moment I made eye contact with him a torrent of information was exchanged. An almost telepathic male connection was made.

His side said _'touch her and I will murder your soul.' _

My side said _'hahaha touchy- touchy-feely feely hahaha!'_

I ignored my insane speculation and asked the question I have been wondering about.

"What time do you think I should have her back?" Something on his expression said 'right now.' But luckily for him he responded with.

"Have her back before midnight." I nodded and waved goodbye.

***Shirley's choice of restaurant somewhere in the city.***

The walk there had been very pleasant indeed; many a genuine conversation had been had. Towards the end of which she pointed out a nice restaurant we could eat at.

It wasn't a five-star restaurant or anything, however it seemed to be a nicely kept, small family restaurant. All the tables and chairs were made of darkly polished wood. And they had several booths in the back. As it turns out we had taken up refuge in the back booths towards the corner.

She had ordered a salad, as well as the salmon, with what appeared to be a side of lemon.

I of course went with the significantly more manly side of the menu and purchased a 16 ounce steak with a side of baked potato, and whatever the hell this vegetable thing was.

"So have you thought about what you want to go see?" I asked smoothly. She put the fork to her bottom lip for brief moment to think. She then shook her head no.

"To be honest, I forgot to look at what was out." I shrugged in response to this.

"It doesn't really matter; you can have a look when we get there." I pointed out.

"Why didn't you pick something?" this question caused me to smile. There were so many ways I could respond to this.

"Two reasons. One, because I want you to be more comfortable with the movie, therefore if you pick it you're more likely to enjoy it. Two, if I were to choose it for more than likely have far too many explosions in it to suit your tastes." She wrinkled her nose slightly with my comments.

"Geez, you act like I'm some sort of girly girl." She teased.

"Well if you're not." I angled my eyes sharply. "What sort of girl are you?" Shirley stumbled over her sentences for moment.

"That's not what I was getting at!" she pointed her fork at me face flushed. It was out right adorable.

Unexpectedly I burst out laughing. Unable to hold it in.

"Somebody's mind is in the gutter, I was just asking as to what your preferences were… And then you go jumping to conclusions." I looked up at her pursing my lips trying to look serious… And failing.

"That's not right to do that to people." She stated while turning back to her food like an upset child. I hummed lightly in satisfaction.

"You know Lulu," she broke with suddenly. "You've opened up a lot recently, what's up with that… I mean I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just, typically you are so withdrawn…" She trailed off seemingly trying to not insult me. Regardless I laughed lightly.

"My sister can see again, I'm in good health, and I am having dinner with a beautiful woman. So don't you think all of that and entitles me to embrace things a little bit more emphatically?" Shirley blushed once more.

We continued to eat and talk lightly until we were both finished, naturally I insisted that I pay for the whole meal. And after several moments of pestering I finally won out. Hunger sated, we made our way to the movie theater standing in front of a billboard that digitally displayed all the titles currently playing I told her to select one.

She ended up choosing some romantic comedy I've never heard of. I then quickly ran up and purchased our tickets, in fact I made it up to the counter with more than enough time to Geass the young Lady at the register in order to skimp on the price. I walked back to Shirley and handed her a ticket.

She looked back at me angrily and placed her hands on her hips, it was annoying how she could even be cute when she was angry. I stared for brief moment, and then sighed outwards.

"What?" I asked meekly, knowing perfectly well what was amiss.

"You can't go around paying for everything!" I raised an eyebrow.

"And why not? If you think about it I'm holding to both tradition, and self-satisfaction."

"That's not the point…" she paused to think. "Things aren't like that anymore." I reached out words and held her hand being sure to closer her fist over the ticket I had given her.

"Why won't you make is easy, and** let **me spoil you." She took pause to my statement, it was clear she acknowledged it. However that did not stop her from putting on her pouty face.

I smiled with an idea, I moved my hand from hers and wrapped it around her waist. I got in really close, close to the point for both or four heads were touching.

"All right then, what can I do to make you happier." The proximity of our bodies caused her to flush brightly, then again it was a very public display of affection considering the fact that we were in plain view of everyone in the lobby at the movie theater.

"L-let me pay for something…" I calculated the damage it would do to my pride to allow such a thing… I concluded it would be insignificant in the long run.

"Fine, you can pay for the popcorn." She was about to respond with something but I would have none of it. For before she could speak I leaned in quickly and pecked her on the lips. The kiss was quick, but not nearly as quick as me pulling her by the arm into the theater.

We made our way to… Theater 16 according to the ticket. Before that of course we stopped by the front counter and purchased some overpriced popcorn. I tried my damnedest not to squirm as she handed over the money for it.

_Son of a bitch, that should be me paying for it…_

It hurt on an internal level, however I held it in. The first thing I noticed when we were in the theater room was that it was significantly darker than the rest of the lobby. Which made sense of course, but I didn't like the feeling of apprehension I got while in the dark.

My paranoia aside, we managed to find decent seats in the furthest back in the right corner. There were quite a few people already sitting, luckily our position had no one sitting around us for lease six or seven seats in any which way direction.

The moment we sat down I had a revelation.

"Dammit! We forgot to get something to drink… Be right back." I stood abruptly and made my way down the stairs before a single complaint to be filed. Walking quickly I turned and made out it out the door, where I was immediately assaulted by the bright light. Squinting I made my way forward.

Just my luck, I spied a register that had no one in line for it. Just as I was nearly upon it **Bump.**

Someone or something knocked straight into my shoulder. I nearly lost my footing due to the force of the impact, however I managed to make a quick sidestep and land safely.

"Watch where you're going pencil neck." These six words were all I needed to confirm that this man was the scum of society.

"I was, in case you were too stupid to notice **you **bumped into **me**." The man who had bumped into me appeared to be in his early 20s, and be wearing clothes that were far too large for him including a red sweatshirt, oversized baggy jeans, and impossibly clean white sneakers.

It would have been comical, if he weren't actually trying to pull off the look.

"What was that?"

_And now we're yelling… Seriously? I'm not going to fuck with this guy. Let's deal with this quickly and get my damn drink._

I flicked my Geass on.

"{Go do anything else very very far away.}" The command was very simple however could be taken many different ways, however the fact that I said 'very **very **far away' made sure whatever he was going to do, he would do it elsewhere,

_Now that that's over…_

Thankfully the purchasing process was uneventful as well as the return to my designated seat in the corner next to Shirley. I placed the oversized drink down in the cup holder between us. Shirley appeared to notice the two straws I had placed in it, but said nothing.

The previews provided nothing particularly interesting, and due to me being absent when they started I had to watch very little of them until the movie actually begin. Once it started it immediately made it clear that one of our stars was a washed up songwriter. And that he was having a hard time making ends meet due to how few people contracted him anymore.

But then began to introduce is cliché love interest, this was the part where I began to gag and lose interest.

I turned my attention to Shirley as well as the large box of popcorn she was holding. Reached over and took a small handful which caused her to look down briefly. Consuming the expanded kernels quickly, I proceeded to take a drink from the cup in the middle. I repeated this process every few minutes and began to let my mind wander.

_I wonder what the Britannians will do in retaliation to today's event? Naturally they're going to want to have someone take the place of power here, ever since the loss of Prince Clovis they're down one Viceroy._

I had no idea who they might send, so I had to base all my assumptions upon a neutral opinion first.

_Their best bet would be to clean up all of the corruption associated with their local governments, if any. And then proceed to wipe out all the resistance factions one by one starting with the smallest groups in order to dishearten the remainder of the resistance. _

I then pulled the brake on that thought process.

_I don't care… I want as little to do with them as possible. _I took a quick glance at Shirley and found her observing the film casually, a small smile on her lips. _Hmmm… what would be the best way to mess with her right now? _

I smiled at my conclusion then began to implement my half-baked plan.

"Pst… Shirley, Wana make out?" it required a massive amount and restraint to not burst out laughing with her reaction. Her eyes widened while her jaw dropped and she struggled to say something.

"W-what… Wait, no. y-you can't kiss on the first date." She stumbled to state.

"We've already broken that rule you know. Besides, I said make out not kiss… Big difference." I pointed out. Had it not been so dark in the theater I'm sure I would've seen her blushing intensely

"You said you want to do things t-traditionally." I shrugged slightly at this.

"I like to have the best of both worlds." A very true statement, then again who didn't?

"You can't have it both ways…" Her arguments were growing weaker with each point.

"Watch me." I said as I leaned in and slid my hand around her shoulder. She didn't pull back, she didn't retreat, she just sat there motionless until our lips met.

**To be continued soon next chapter…**


	14. Shirley: Perspective

Audacity chapter 14.

*There have been no reviews since the last time I answered questions, so because of this I'll be answering questions preemptively. One. I do intend to have Cornelia initiate the Saitama incident. Two. Cypher 01 will be forced to make several appearances because of this. You can honestly expect a lot of rage filled decisions in the near future. Also be on the lookout for interaction between Lelouch and C2 as well as Grey Jack.*

"Watch me." He said as he leaned in and slipped his hand around my shoulder. I didn't pull back, I didn't retreat, I just sat there motionless until our lips met.

The butterflies in my stomach shifted slightly and I began to mold into his caress. His other hand came up and held the side of my face. He pulled back slightly and locked eyes with me, his purple orbs danced with mischief. He paused briefly to see my reaction, when he decided to reconnect the kiss once more I moved my arms under his to lock into an embrace.

My heart was racing; my thoughts were cluttered and lustful. His tongue slid across the edge of my lips causing my entire body to heat up.

_Oh my God… Why didn't we do this sooner? Wait, no… Does that make me a pervert?_

My breath hitched and my thoughts were interrupted as the hand that had been holding my face slid down to my breast then cupped it lightly.

"Lulu-"I tried to protest but was quickly overpowered. He allowed no protest as he deepened the kiss further.

My body began to react strangely. The warmth that had spread through me previously had amplified several times and through my midsection and below was almost unbearable.

The hand that had been around my waist slowly moved to my thigh and began rubbing it.

A low moan escaped my throat is my body shivered in anticipation of what he would do next…

And just like that he pulled away.

I was unable to suppress a groan of disappointment.

_What? Why?… Did I do something wrong? _I thought worriedly as I looked in his eyes pleading for both an answer and more affection.

"Revenge." He said while grinning sadistically. I blinked once or twice and allowed my mind to process what he had said.

"You should have helped me when Milly and Rivalz were tickling me, so because of that I call revenge." He had a childlike expression about him while saying this.

His explanation left me flustered and angry. However this feeling dulled considerably once I saw the genuine smile he wore upon his face.

_He's never opened up like this before… I've never seen him show this much affection to anyone but Nunnally._

A sweet flood of happiness filled my heart at the thought of him caring for me at the same level he did his beloved sister. So…Instead of getting angry with him, instead of reprimanding him, I simply intertwined my hand with his and leaned my head on his shoulder and watched the remainder of the movie in pure bliss.

Yes I realize that this chapter is ungodly short, however tomorrow (in about 12 hours.) I will be posting another chapter to completely wrap this one up, or get the plot moving again.


	15. Geass: Lapse

Audacity chapter 15.

*I sincerely apologize for not getting this chapter in when I said I would, however I had a major fuck up with my computer I'd like to call it a computer crash, however I'm not quite sure what it was. Because of this and my own lack of foresight I failed to save the original version of chapter 15… So as you could imagine I was very pissed off. Regardless I rebooted everything from the ground up and made damn sure that I saved it this time around. Also, if anyone has any questions at all regarding this specific fan fiction and/or technical information regarding this fan fiction either send me a message or leave a review and I guarantee a reply.*

I was practically dead on my feet; I determined this might have something to do with me facing down the Britannian military. And when you add that on top of a date with a beautiful woman… One could imagine how easily a person's energy reserves could drain.

The night air provided a small bit of comfort as I slowly made my way back to Ashford Academy. I was in no hurry I had already walked Shirley home, so I was left to my own devices. I considered what was on my to do list for the near future.

_Should probably pester Gray Jack for some information… I should probably do that to CC as well. I only have one class with Shirley, what was it again? Oh yeah chemistry._

I turned the corner and Ashford Academy became visible less than 100 yards away.

_Well as far as I'm concerned all the other classes can go to hell, I'll just Geass so the teachers to give me decent marks. _

A stray thought ran its way into my mind.

_I wonder if gray Jack and CC know anything about each other? Not likely, but considering I can't kill either of them, it wouldn't be wise to piss them off with hundreds of questions, I should limit my questions to a few at a time. _

I finally set foot on the campus and angled my direction towards my dorm.

_Only one problem, I have no idea how to get in contact with Gray Jack… he said run maround in circles with my arms flailing and stuff… yeah, not gonna happen. I wonder if he can read my thoughts right now?_

_Do you hear me you sack of shit! We got need to talk!_

I felt slightly foolish for thinking this and half expecting it to work.

Just as I began walking up the stairs to the student Council building I noticed a spot of green on the left pillar nearest the door. The color shifted into the light and revealed CC.

"Sup?" I greeted tiredly. I may have just been me but she looked genuinely frustrated.

"And exactly what was the point of your little escapade today?" It was slight, but there was an edge in the words and the way they were said. My mind clicked in recognition as a realized that she knew that I was Cypher 01… Somehow.

"What do you mean?" I tried to toy with her.

"Don't play dumb with me; the boy that was saved today was the same boy that saw me in the capsule, nobody else but you would stick their neck out for him." I nodded in agreement.

"I don't see how it's any of your business, unless of course you feel like turning me in. But then again that would be rather counterproductive for you." Her eyes narrowed and the bored expression on her face became one of seriousness.

"We are accomplices Lelouch, you and I… I can't have you dying on me before you fulfill my wish. Until that time, if you are to engage in any dangerous activities… consult me first." Most people would not have responded positively to something like that, however I was far too tired to argue.

"Fine fine I get it. Besides, unless the shit really hits the fan, I don't plan on doing anything like that again anytime soon. Happy?" No response was given, she simply turned and entered inside without so much as a nod.

_I'll just question her tomorrow, I guess._ I thought lazily as I followed behind her.

While walking down the hallway I decided to stop at Nunnally's door. Being damn sure to knock this time I waited for a response. None was forthcoming, so I opened the door only slightly and peered inside.

It was dark, but due to the bulge in the bed it was clear that Nunnally was sleeping peacefully. I shut the door and continued my way towards my room. It took a few moments of ambling down the hallway but I finally made it to my door.

Rubbing my eyes I reached for the handle and stumbled inside. Reaching for the light switch flicked it on.

"GAHHHH!" I stumbled and fell backwards as I was met with the site of Gray Jack sitting on the chair to my desk.

"Damn… Overreact much?" he asked sarcastically.

Clenching my teeth I did my best to calm myself as well as my heart rate as I stood and righted myself.

"Well excuse me; it's not every day I come home to find… Whatever the hell you are waiting to ambush me in my own room!" I said dipping into anger.

"Well you're the one who wanted to talk to me. From what I understand you want to ask some questions, which is perfectly acceptable, however please take note I give nothing up for free… Be it information or otherwise."

_Then what about the physical augmentation?_

"That was for me. Like I said you're a good source of entertainment, but if you die you'll cease to be as such. So that means I can't have you walking around as a total lightweight."

"So you can read my thoughts…" I stated with a sense of foreboding. Jack smiled a lipless smile and leaned back slightly.

"Yes it's true, but only to a certain extent. What that extent is… Well that's valuable information and you'll have to pay for that."

I shook my head.

"No thanks I don't need to know about that, but what I do need to know is if I'm permitted to tell others about you if necessary?"

My question was met with a flat-out response.

"No. The only exception being the green haired one that refers to herself as CC. But other than that you will tell no one of my existence, if you do I will kill them."

I clenched my fist and my eyes narrowed. I realized this might require me to lie to some people I'd rather not be dishonest with.

"And what of my deficit of memories?" Gray Jack waved one of his ungodly long appendages.

"Do what you want with that peace of information; just remember, you're probably going to have to come up with a cover story." I nodded, and in doing so realized how tense I was.

"Last question, am I still able to Geass myself? I realize you don't want me to use it to recover my memories… However you interrupted my last command, so I want to know. Am I still able to use it on myself for something else?" Gray Jack pulled back slightly at this and rubbed his discolored chin.

"Do you mean if I will let you do it? Or if you are physically capable of Geassing yourself **still, **despite the fact that I stopped you halfway?"

"Both." I answered with quickly.

"Well… Considering this information isn't particularly valuable to me I'll give it up for free-ish."

"What do you want?" I asked cautiously.

"Don't ever shoot me again. It hurts despite the fact it can't kill me."

"Deal. Now answer." I demanded, becoming impatient.

"Yes to both, from what I've gathered your Geass alters the subject's brain all the way down to the synapses. What some people might consider damage caused by your Geass is really just your Geass rearranging synopses in accordance to your command. When I stopped your command from being fulfilled, I reset all the synopses back to the way they were **before **you gave the command. So logically speaking you should still be up to Geass yourself."

"For anything other than my memories?" I tacked on for him.

"For anything other than your memories, yes." He confirmed.

"That's all I needed to know. Anything else you can think of?" I walked over to my bed and landed on it with a soft thud.

Whether or not he answered me I know not. For I passed out within seconds of lying down.

*The Next Day.*

_Holy shit… I knew I would get the media buzzing, but not to this extent. _

I thought this as I scrolled through various websites on the computer in the student Council room. It was early, not even Nina had arrived yet. I had already grabbed something for breakfast and decided I might as well see the consequences my actions.

From what I could tell the Britannian military was trying it's hardest to cover its ass. Apparently the military was not used to having a media go against them.

I closed the computer and all its applications and then stood up to exit the room.

_Might as well go talk to Nunnally._

I began my search first in her room, once again being sure to knock. I did not find her there so I immediately turned my direction towards the kitchen and dining room… Once again my search turned up nothing. I then began wondering about the rest of the student Council building.

I chanced upon her door that was slightly open, inside of which I heard a rustling. Peering inside I saw the form of what appeared to be Milly rifling through several boxes.

"Sup?" I greeted, elongating the phrase.

Milly turned around slightly startled, causing several dust moats to pick up and sparkle in the light.

"L-Lelouch. Don't sneak up on people like that." I shrugged and leaned up against the frame of the door

"What are you up to this early in the morning?" I asked nonchalantly. Milly place both her hands on her hips and faced me directly.

"You missed the party for our newest member of the Council." I quickly looked left and right.

"Aaaaaand?" I asked almost sarcastically.

"And, you're going to have to make up for it. I think the best way-" I cut her off.

"I don't owe anybody anything… That I know of." I said this almost defiantly. Milly's expression was that of simple shock.

"What's up with you Mr. lately you've been nothing but the unexpected." Her voice lowered considerably.

"Is this about what happened with Clovis?" my features darkened at his mention, my stance shifting slightly.

"Things have changed recently… I don't know how to explain most of it-nor can I the rest. As for my mannerisms, yes they have changed. All I can say… No all I can ask, is that you take this development of character in the most positive way possible."

Milly's expression quickly changed from that of shock to a more apologetic scheme.

"I never said it was a bad thing, I didn't mean to insult your anything. I just wanted to bring it to the forefront maybe find out-…" Her eyes squinted slightly as she walked forward. Leaning towards me and pinching my bicep, she then said slyly.

"Someone's put on a little bit of muscle I see. My my… With a little more work you could turn out to be quite the beefcake."

I looked down to the area already being surveyed and noticed that the uniform I had on was beginning to become too small. It still fit of course, however due to the fact that I previously had almost no body fat whatsoever it made sense that any change in size would result in a need for an altercation in wardrobe.

"Maybe… Have you seen Nunnally?" I changed the subject ignoring her teasing. She seemed to pout slightly at my lack of reaction, but regardless answered with.

"Last time I saw her she was over in the foyer, talking to Kallen." I smiled, nodded and waved to her absentmindedly as I walked away.

_I wonder if Nunnally's had any problems with her sight? _I thought offhandedly as I walked towards the foyer.

_The talk I had with CC was far too short to produce anything worthwhile or meaningful, it's obvious she wanted to say more… I wish I understood that bitch. _

I finally breached the entrance to the foyer and immediately spotted Nunnally's wheelchair facing away from me. Standing next to her was the same redhead that I had nearly failed to Geass the other day.

I thought briefly, knowing I've seen her somewhere before.

Then it hit me.

_Oh shit, that's the chick who piloted the Glasgow in the Shinjuku incident!1! She's a terrorist__**. A terrorist is next to Nunnally, unacceptable.**_

_**Click. **_

I felt something in my mind shift at an awkward angle and release a part of Cypher 01's persona.

"Hey Nunnally! You seen the news recently? Crazy stuff isn't it." I raised my voice slightly to cover the distance. I had both of their attentions directed towards me.

_Now to get her away from Nunnally. _I slipped my right hand into my pants pocket in preparation to use my butterfly knife if necessary.

"Yes, I saw the news. It's so much nicer to be able to watch the television instead of just listening to it." She stated while giggling lightly.

"I can imagine…" I drifted off slightly and angled my vision towards Kallen.

_What was the name that she was under in Shinjuku?... Ahh yes, Q1._

"Would you mind helping me Q1… Milly wants help labeling some of the boxes in the storage room." I held my breath as I waited for her to react. Her eyes widened in shock briefly but quickly thereafter narrowed along with the rest of her facial features.

"sure, no problem."

_Good, so she remembers… That makes one of us. _I motioned for her to follow me, and she quickly complied albeit with a subtle defensive posture.

"See you soon Nunnally." Nunnally smiled and said goodbye as I walked not to the storage room but to my own quarters.

I made sure to keep myself angled so I could react if she attacked me throughout the entirety of the walk. I swung open the door to my room walked inside. She shut the door behind her.

My facial expression immediately changed to a stoic poker face as I turned to face her.

"Now tell me… What is a terrorist doing here?" Her reaction was nowhere near what I had expected. Instead of responding verbally she produced a pink pouch which immediately turned out to be a switch blade of considerable size.

I slid my left foot back and grit my teeth as she lunged forward. The world seemed to slow to almost nothing in the brief moment it took for her to close the distance.

_Two options: block, or dodge. Can't Dodge at this range, block it is. _

In hindsight I still agree with this choice, for nobody expects a person to deliberately take a potentially lethal blow just so they can return one.

At the last second while she was forwardly thrusting the blade I lifted my left hand and allowed the knife to pierce the center of my palm.

Through the white-hot sting and the separating skin I felt the fabric come in contact with undamaged parts of my hand. I immediately clenched my fist in a death grip.

Twisting both my hand and hers along with the pouch, I force her arm into an awkward angle. Whilst doing this I looped my left leg around her heel and yanked backwards once I had an anchor. This caused her to fall bringing me down with her, fortunately on top. I then placed my knee on her free elbow.

Realizing that time was of the essence I almost fumbled for my butterfly knife as I flipped it open and pressed it against her neck with my free hand.

Through the pain I decided to be audacious.

"What the hell bitch? I asked a simple question and you stab me, not a people person I would assume?" The last part of my snide remark was rhetorical.

"Now answer me." I demanded, my voice deepening.

"I just go to school here, nothing special." My eyebrow rose slightly.

"Oh so being a terrorist can be a part time job? Where can I apply? Actually a better question would be, why are you a terrorist?" she seemed reluctant to answer, so I enticed her by pressing the blade against her carotid artery more firmly.

"Because I'm half Japanese." For the second time that day I glanced left and right in quick succession.

"That's it?" there was a short pause. I could feel my blood slowly seeping out of my veins and onto her pouch/knife… Thing.

"What else do I need? You've seen the way the Japanese are treated. Hell all the numbers are treated like dirt."

I almost deadpanned at her stupid reasoning.

"And so you seek to change this by needlessly involving civilians in your conflicts." It wasn't a question.

She had no comeback whatsoever. She did however struggle lightly against my weight. This sparked a bit of inspiration in me.

"Imagine my body's weight on top of you, imagine it as the embodiment of Britannia's oppression against the Japanese. Now, if you wanted to get me off of you would you go randomly harass the staff of the Academy and then hide behind the students blaming them, or allowing them to take the blame?"

Once again she said nothing.

"This is an accurate, although downscaled version of what you and your compatriots are doing. Do you disagree?"

"I know this! But Britannia so much stronger than us, we have no choice but to hit-and-run." I nodded agreeing partially.

"Understandable, but I'm unable to condone your actions regardless. If Britannia is truly in the wrong, then you must bring this into the light. Into the eyes of the people, because however strong a single nation might be…They cannot remain strong if the masses disagree with what they're doing and resist."

She didn't hesitate with a response this time.

"It's easy to say that when you're just observing something from the sidelines! Analyzing and criticizing when you haven't done a single thing other than sit there on your high horse and cast judgment! Never getting your hands dirty!" The venom in her words stung slightly.

"If I let you up will you refrain from attacking me?" I paused. "Because honestly I have no intention of harming you." Defeated yet still defiant she nodded.

Being sure to disarm her despite her word, I removed my hold and stood up right being sure to back up slightly. I quickly removed the blade shortly after.

The wet sloshing sound it made was sickening and painful as the blade finally left my flesh.

I continued to grip the concealable weapon with my injured hand, further staining it's pink and deceiving outward appearance. In the other hand I flipped the butterfly knife closed and returned It to my pocket

"I'm not as much as a sideline observer as you might think…" I trailed off as I walked past her to my desk. Opening the bottom drawer and reaching under several manila folders I gripped onto the Cypher 01 mask.

Pulling it out and lightly tossing it to her I put on a sly smirk.

The said object was quickly caught and just as quickly, recognition flashed over her face.

"…You're the one… That saved him." Her expression quickly changed to that of embarrassment.

"Logically speaking, you just attacked an ally. From your point of view at least." She tried several times to speak but failed miserably, only managing to get out quick syllables and stuttering words.

Finally, as if her resolve had hardened, she looked at me directly in the eyes.

"Will you join us… Will you fight with us." it took a surprising effort not to laugh out loud.

"Pffft, why?" I finally leveled with.

"What? What do you mean why? You hate the Britannians as much as we do don't you?" My sarcastic demeanor immediately dropped.

"It's not a matter of hate… Both sides have done their share of wrongs, some more than others yes. But I fight for neither. The only thing I will fight for is to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

She spread both for arms out palms facing me in an exasperated movement.

"Then why not join us, we could be so much more effective if we work together." It seemed she was almost pleading at this point.

"Let's get one thing straight… Me joining you, or your conglomerate of terrorists, would only contradict my values, few and far between as they may be. But regardless, I believe that if you truly want to join forces… That you would join me and not the other way around."

"How is that any different?" She immediately blurted out.

"Because if you join me…you would follow my orders… Not the other way around." I noticed her body language was immediately radiating turmoil and confusion.

"I don't know how to make this clearer; I don't gain anything by butting heads with Britannia for no reason."

"But you would be supporting the Japanese in our fight for liberation." My stoic expression returned.

"Your liberation is not my concern. You lost the war, therefore you are subject to the rule of the nation that conquered you…" I froze for brief moment, hearing it said out loud made me realize how contradictory I sounded.

"But-" I cut her off.

"However… I will meet with the rest of your faction. Get my cell phone number from Milly. Contact me whenever it's convenient for you and I'll get in touch to discuss the terms of our cooperation… If that turns out to be possible."

We stared at each other for several seconds.

"Deal?" I proposed.

"Deal." She agreed.

"It has a little blood on it." _because you stabbed me! _"But this still belongs to you." I said as I reached over and returned the pouch/knife to her. At the same time I retrieved my mask from her possession and returned it to its concealed position within my desk.

She took the pouch wordlessly and looked at me for brief moment with an expression of awe.

It then occurred to me…

_Fucker! I could've just used the latent Geass command I gave her already. And because of that lapse of intelligence I have a hole in my hand. Wonderful. _

"Now that our business is complete here, I have to find a cover story and treatment for my hand." She attempted an apology which I immediately cut off with a wave of my hand… The uninjured one of course.

"Save it. I don't blame you for it."

I then exited the room with Kallen shortly behind me.

_Now to find the nurse._ I thought angrily as I sought medical attention.


	16. Geass: Allies?

Audacity chapter 16.

*I know, I bet you're thinking. 'Hey would you know he actually updated quickly for once.' Well if you're thinking that, falk you… I mean fark you… I mean arghhh stupid AutoCorrect. You get the point at least. But to be honest with you I'm just happy that I'm finally getting the plot moving somewhere.*

Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. You can count on it, and I sincerely appreciate how you've consistently reviewed throughout the entirety of this story. So thank you very much.

Response to review by: Atrile. I cannot explain to you in words, at least not accurately, how hard I laughed when I noticed what you pointed out… I'm not quite sure why, but for some ungodly reason I found it infinitely humorous. It actually got to the point where I almost passed out from laughing. Five awesome points to you for pointing that out.

Also, thank you for your review. And take heart, for you will not have to wonder much longer.

Acquiring help for my hand was simple enough. All I had to do was find the nurse's office and put her under my Geass. The nurse was a nice enough lady, she had light brown hair and slight age marks around her mouth. She fit the stereotypical bill for school nurses quite nicely.

She was quick with stitching up my hand, it hurt like hell and to that point she offered me some sort of pain medication, as to which I declined.

_I'm fucked up enough as it Is, I don't need drugs unbalancing me further. _I thought in an almost morbid fashion as she tied the final stitch and began wrapping my Palm in gauze. After several rotations around my hand she taped the gauze closed.

"{I am finished now.}" She stated quickly. I inspected the bandages briefly and found them more than satisfactory.

"Thank you; be sure to tell no one of this. Also act as your normal self until further notice." I tacked on just to be sure. Hopping off the chair I previously had been seated on I made my way towards the door.

Walking down the hall I gingerly placed my injured hand was in my pants pocket, being sure to not aggravate it in any way.

It was annoying how almost every student I passed felt the need to greet me. Some were even brazen enough to ask me questions about school festivals and whether or not I had time to oversee a club project.

Naturally I either didn't answer or declined every single time.

It was however interesting to observe the apparent structure of the social classes. Honestly nobody seemed to be left out. Students of all apparent preferences and tastes seem to have their own group to socialize and work with.

_As it should be. _I thought offhandedly. _And to think, if the authorities somehow found out about me the peace here would be disrupted and the school's name would be tarnished._

I didn't like that thought at all. But it just meant I would have to work that much harder to make sure things didn't come back to bite me… at least not while I was here.

I had no real objective, the chemistry class I had with Shirley wasn't until one o'clock. I had more than two hours. I decided it was a good idea to get something to eat, although in my defense my decision was heavily influenced by my gnawing hunger.

However shortly after reaching the cafeteria I came to the realization that it was closed.

"Dammit." I swore out loud.

I vaguely recalled seeing a vending machine towards the western end of the campus.

_Junk food is better than no food I suppose._

I did my best to avoid students throughout the majority of my trip however, despite my best efforts I came across a small group that was almost literally hidden behind one of the gym's storage facilities.

The four students blanched when they saw me, and it was not hard to see why.

The four of them were smoking what appeared to be cigarettes, so it made sense why they were right in the middle of my path. I had specifically selected it so I would run into as few people as possible.

Obviously I wasn't the only one that wanted to avoid others right now.

I sighed lightly. Although it was technically my duty as a member of the student Council to set a good example, I honestly didn't give a crap.

During my absent-minded thought process the four students had snuffed out and attempted to hide their smoking materials.

I walked over to them and rubbed my chin lightly pretending to scrutinize them.

"Good morning gentlemen." I said in a flat tone. "You realize smoking is not allowed on campus?… It's also not allowed if you're underage." The tallest student who also appeared to be the oldest spoke up.

"You ain't gonna turn us in are you?" I thought about it for a moment, I really did.

Shortly afterwards I extended my right hand.

"Let me see the pack." The tall blonde reached into his unbuttoned uniform and produced the requested item and sheepishly handed it to me. I flicked the pack on the bottom which caused a single cigarette to expose itself.

"Toss me a light." All four of the young men in front of me immediately allowed their jaws to drop. It took them a moment due to shock, but they complied.

Lighting the cigarette I inhaled deeply.

The smoke-filled air entered my lungs and burned heavily all the way down.

_Shit, this stuffs pretty strong. _I exhalde watching the smoke leave my lungs slowly. It didn't long for the nicotine to take effect, in less than 30 seconds I felt the edge off my consciousness dull.

_**Click**_

I felt the irritable part of me smooth out slowly as I finished exhaling. Fighting the urge to cough I took another drag. The second inhalation completely erased stress I had built up during my confrontation with Kallen.

Mostly satisfied I slipped the lighter into the pack of cigarettes and tossed it back at the blonde.

"What's your name?" the blonde was once again surprised by my actions, more specifically my most recent request.

"N-Nathan Jentsch." He stuttered out as I inhaled from the cigarette once more.

_How the hell do you spell Jentsch? Whatever. _

Reaching into my back right pocket I produced my wallet and from that a $100 bill.

"Take this and purchase a carton of cigarettes. You can keep the rest, however I expect you to be here tomorrow with the carton of cigarettes. I'll drop by to pick them up at about the same time."

One of the other students, a medium height brunette who actually wore his uniform according to the dress code spoke up this time.

"Hey man, it's not that easy to pick up cigarettes-" I cut him off, I seemed to be doing that a lot today.

"In return I won't turn you guys in to the staff." That shut him up pretty good.

I extended the money even further and Nathan took it.

"See you tomorrow." I said as I walked off, cigarette still in hand.

Occasionally taking puffs from the cigarette as I walked I continued onwards towards the vending machine. By the time I reached my objective the cigarette was finished so I flicked it away aimlessly.

The selection in the machine was wide, but ended up settling for a package of beef jerky.

I decided it would be a good idea to take a nap on the roof until it was time to attend chemistry. Luckily it didn't take long to reach the roof of the main building; in fact with my student Council ID I had access to the elevator that went straight there.

Lying on a bench near the corner of the roof I closed my eyes and nodded off.

And while asleep I had the weirdest dream.

There were paintings on the wall, literally dozens of them. I looked around suspiciously and found a person to my right.

I then had the incredibly surreal experience of meeting myself, or at least an exact visage of myself.

My eyes widened considerably and I broke a smirk. Unsure of what to do.

"Hello…me?" My words were met with incredibly vicious look of absolute loathing and hatred.

"You." I honestly pulled a blank when I…. He… Me… Whatever said this.

"Actually I'm me, which makes me you and you me… If that makes any sense?"

"What did you do?" the question was filled with venom and spite. I couldn't help but get the distinct impression that if the other me could, he would strangle me.

"I am so confused right now." I leveled with the other me. "Let's make things simple and start with an introduction… On second thought just tell me what you want."

A scowl developed on the face of my doppelgänger.

"I want my body back." All sarcastic and absent-minded thoughts immediately skidded to a halt. I then focused my brainpower onto deciphering those five words.

_His body back? Implying that he was removed from it… It's possible this is a representation of my lost memories and knowledge. Best to ask and find out._

"Are you aware of my situation, meaning my lack of memories." It was obvious my doppelgänger was thinking just as hard as I was.

"No, all I know is that you're an imposter and you've taken what rightfully belongs to me… Somehow." Being accused multiple times, even if it was indirect, irked me slightly.

"Pffft. Whatever, how do I get out of this… Wherever this is." I waited several seconds but my duplicate said nothing.

"Fuck you then." I said as I walked off in one of the only two directions available.

_Okay it's obvious I'm dreaming, so logically all I have to do is wait until I wake up. Right?_

After several hundred feet I looked behind me to see if I was being followed by myself, as weird as that sounds.

There was no one. But immediately upon facing forward again I was shocked.

"Holy crap!" standing before me was my duplicate once more.

"Physical movements are irrelevant on this plane, so I've discovered recently." He said to me.

"That's… Annoying." I replied weakly. And then an idea then sparked within me. I immediately produced my Glock and leveled it at the supposed 'original's' chest.

"So you're saying even if I shoot you several times, because physical movements don't matter you won't die?"

My replica took a slight step backwards, but otherwise held his ground.

I was unable to do or say anything else for I was startled into consciousness by the sound of a door closing.

My open my eyes and looked towards the direction of the sound. Apparently someone had also decided to pay the roof a visit.

It was Kallen.

"Looking for me?" I called out to her. She looked in my direction and began walking towards me, only to stop about 6 feet away.

"You're not going to try stabbing me again are you? I would really appreciate it if you didn't." I smiled slightly as she angled her gaze away from me. What I said either ashamed or embarrassed her. Possibly both.

"No… It's just you said the other day that you were employed by Prince Clovis… And that you deployed the poisonous gas in Shinjuku." She trailed off not knowing how to word the rest of her sentence.

"Ahh, I see. And you want to know whether or not that's true." It wasn't a question. "I'll tell you what I told kururugi." I motioned for her to sit down on the open space on the bench not bothering to sit up myself.

She complied.

"I was never employed by Clovis, nor did I ever obtain or handle poisonous gas. And at no point in time have I ever released it upon anyone nor had any intention of doing so. That was just a lie to help force Jeremiah to hand over Suzaku."

She nodded in confirmation.

"I see. Tell me, assuming that the rest of my group and I join you, what would you do with us?" I thought about this for moment.

"Exactly what I did with kururugi, right that which is wrong and prevent those without power from being preyed upon by those with it… Or something like that." She seemed to think deeply upon each word I said.

"You realize my identity is not to be compromised, even amongst your Allies?"

"Yes I understand this, same goes for me… I don't want you telling anyone that I'm involved with the resistance." Biting back a sarcastic remark I'm replied honestly.

"Naturally. What else did you come here for?" she looked off into the distance.

"No that was it. That was the only piece of information I was wondering about." I 'Hmmmd' in confirmation.

"So have you decided whether or not you're going to tell your compatriots that you met the newly infamous Cypher 01?" she turned and looked directly at me her blue eyes surprisingly determined.

"Of course! We never seem to be able to do anything against the Britannians except cause them to crack down on the innocents. And yet you on your first appearance completely put them through the ringer, all without even pulling a gun. Watching you on the television was like watching a miracle take place."

I frowned slightly at the word 'miracle'.

"You flatter me, however you must remember it was well planned out and I had lots of time to prepare."

"That makes no difference! You still have the skills to force change."

"Change for the better? Or possibly for worse, who can decide these things… Not an individual, not I. What gives me the right to take a life just so I can uphold my values?"

The philosophical question stumped her briefly.

"Relax, I wasn't setting an ultimatum or anything. I still plan to meet with your group once you give me the call." She shifted slightly, seemingly uncomfortable.

"Yeah about that, I've already called and told them I would bring you over there today so we could talk about our cooperation."

"Seriously?" I deadpanned. "But I have chemistry in like an hour or so!" her eyebrows knit together slightly.

"That's not as important!" She had me there, the class itself was not nearly as important as potential allies.

Gritting my teeth I submitted.

"Fine… take me there. But before we go I have to gather my mask and stuff." I then stood and moved onwards towards my dorm.

Gathering my stuff was simple enough, unfortunately Kallen decided to follow me around like a puppy.

_Perhaps she's afraid I'll bail out or something? _I concluded after giving it a little thought.

I already had the model 36 on the small of my back; however I needed to put the Glock in its underarm holster.

Not caring that there was a lady present, I removed my jacket and shirt and put on another black tank top. Kallen's face turned bright red from her jaw line all the way to the tips of her ears as she turned around quickly.

I briefly debated whether or not I should bring the High Point along with me, however I concluded that I did not have the space on my person for the third firearm… nor was it necessary. I tucked the mask between my belt and waistband in front of my stomach and put the green sweatshirt I had commandeered yesterday over it.

"Okay let's go." I said while motioning towards the door.

The entire walk there she said nothing, and it was a very long walk. We had been walking for at least half an hour before we made it into a more questionable part of the city. I made a point to stop her shortly after noticing this.

"Tell me before we get there, I'll need to put on the mask before I see your friends." She nodded, but overall said nothing.

_Must be nervous… I suppose I should be to. These people do want me as their ally. But I shouldn't let that lull me into a false sense of security it's possible if I end up rejecting them they might try to kill me._

"We're here." Kallen said suddenly. I quickly scanned the area; it was a series of warehouses not 100 feet away from the docks of Tokyo Bay. This specific warehouse area seemed to of been abandoned I deducted due to the overall poor condition of the buildings.

_But it obviously does well enough to hide the rebels. _I thought as I donned my mask after removing my sweatshirt. I held my sweatshirt for moment, but then decided to drop it for I had no real attachment to it.

Kallen continued to lead me onwards, but this time it was towards a specific warehouse. Warehouse nine I noted offhandedly. She stopped by a large rollup gate and knocked three times.

It opened up from the inside revealing assorted boxes and crates as well as seven people sitting or standing in a semicircle. Kallen entered and I followed suit shortly afterward. The door slid shut behind me with a loud **clang.** I immediately mapped all of the exits and environmental data as fast as my mind could handle.

I decided I might as well say something first.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I have been informed you wish to speak with me." I was pleased with the way my voice reverberated through the mask, it made it sound almost ominous, that it did.

A black haired man that was a few inches taller than I stepped forward.

"Yes, we'd like to know if you would consider working with us." I cocked my head slightly to the side.

"In what manner of speaking?" I carried on.

"Intelligence operations, material and supply gathering… And actual fighting if necessary." There were several reasons, I deducted, that they might want me to join them but I needed to know why.

"Why?" So I asked in the simplest way I could think of. Surprisingly enough the question seemed to catch them off-guard. Save for one Brown headed shorter man.

"What! What do you mean 'why?' were shorthanded as it is we'll take what we can get."

"So that's how it is… You want me because I'm strong, or so you think." The man who had spoken first cast his gaze downwards. The others did not reply.

"For shame, for shame, for shame…" I chanted while beginning to pace back and forth. "You should not want to ally with me because I'm strong, or simply because I'm capable. You should ally with me because we agree." I paused for effect.

"That agreement being a set of values we wish to live by and wish to fight for! **You there!**" I arced my arm outwards and pointed towards the loud one. "What's your name!"

"Tamaki Shinichiro." He said in a normal volume, slightly confused.

"So Tamaki? Would you die for equality?" he looked left and right briefly.

"Well… Yeah." I turned around while pacing and began walking the other way, defining a line to which I was traveling.

"I see. Would you kill for equality?" I asked in a higher pitch.

"Yes, I have… Most of us here have." I nodded in agreement.

"Now final question! Would you live for equality?" The question confused all present save for maybe Kallen.

"Huh? I don't get it what do you mean?" I turned in my line and began heading in the opposite direction once more.

"Not good, not good at all. It seems you don't understand what it means to live for something." I stopped and faced them all holding my head dramatically.

"Killing is easy enough. All you really need to do is pull the trigger. Dying is even easier all you need to do is stand there and wait. But living… living is truly difficult, when you live for something it means you are willing to put 100% of your effort at all points in time towards that goal. And while doing this you have only that goal's best interests at heart."

"What the hell do you think we've been doing this whole time! Sitting on our asses and playing with ourselves?" I snapped my fingers loudly at Tamaki's outburst.

"I never accused you of not **trying** to live for something. But I don't believe you have liberty's best interests at heart. You've been acting on terrorism this whole time, correct?"

"Yes this is true but we're doing it for the good of the people." The brown haired man spoke up once more.

"That's all fine and dandy. But I have to ask, has it been effective? Have you saved anyone? Have you produced results worthwhile? Worth mention even?"

"No… Not much." Came his sullen reply.

"So why haven't you changed?" the entire group then looked up at me eyes wide, some with confusion, some with anger.

"I'm offering you a chance to change, to take not lives unnecessarily, to not strike fear in the heart of civilians, but to bring recognition and acceptance… And if all goes well, support."

"And how exactly would we do this?" asked by a rather tall blue haired woman.

"You would do this by-" I spread my stance slightly and held my hand my heart. "Exposing that which is truly wrong, and then righting it. By removing the injustices that face your ideals and building upon the support that follows."

"Like what you did with kururugi…" This time Kallen spoke up. Her comrades all nodded agreeing with her statement.

"Yes indeed, notice how when I freed him not a single person was killed. I'm not saying we won't have to kill, but what I'm saying is all life is precious only take it when necessary."

"I think I understand what you're saying, Cypher…" The brown haired one leveled with me.

"Good, but I must inform you. I do not believe I could stand being a part of an organization that I did not lead myself."

"So you're saying you want us to join you." the rhetorical question was asked by the long-haired woman.

"Yes, I offer to you here and now, to all of those of the Shinjuku resistance faction. Join me… Join me and stand against those who wrong the weak simply because they are strong. Join me to build a system of equality that of which we all can enjoy. Join me so we can head towards the future, remember the past and enjoy the present. Join me because it is just!"

There was a long eerie silence in the warehouse. No one moved, no one spoke, nobody even breathed. Until finally.

"I will join you, my name is Ohgi Kaname." I nodded towards him.

"As will I, Kallen Kozuki." The rest of the group in turn pledged themselves to joining me, even Tamaki did, albeit in an almost roundabout fashion.

"Good to have you all on board."

"Will you show us your face Cypher?" I paused to think about it for a moment.

"No… Not yet, not until you prove to me your loyalty, and I mine." Of course Tamaki had an outburst towards this as well but I ignored it.

"Now that were officially allies, tell me. What is the situation on your supplies?" It was Oghi who gave the sit rep.

"As far as food goes we are pretty much self-supporting, protective clothing and stuff has always been hard to come by but we've never really needed it. But where we're really hurting is in weapons." My interest peaked at this.

"We still have nine of the knightmares left over from the Shinjuku battle, but out of all of them only six of them are in any condition to fight. We have almost no small arms anymore not to mention nearly nonexistent ammo supplies for everything."

I nodded and crossed my arms, and I immediately wished I hadn't for I aggravated my stab wound by doing so.

"I see, so you're low on the essentials. Don't worry I'll fix that."

"You saying you got the dough?" Tamaki prodded impolitely.

"What he means is, where are you going to get the funding for this, Cypher?"

_He managed to ask the same question in a more polite manner while correcting his teammate… He has significantly more tact than the rest of them… so it would seem._ I made sure to take note of this for future reference.

"Of course, I'll never offer something I can't provide. I'll be sure to provide you with everything you need by the end of this week." I promised.

"All right, there's got to be something we can bring to the table though." I nodded and smiled beneath the mask.

"Yes, yes there is. I need you to get as many recruits is possible. You're going to be getting more supplies than you'll know what to do with." I reached inside my pants pocket checked my phone for the time.

12: 45. _So much for making it to chemistry class… _I thought sadly.

"Well as you can imagine I have much to do now, get my number from Kallen in case you need to contact me for something. We'll meet back here in case anything happens."

I thought for a brief moment of how I could reassure them.

"And if you're worried about me bailing out or something just remember, Kallen knows my actual identity. So I suppose were in this together now." I said this as I made my way to exit using one of the ordinary doors.

I found it really annoying that I was both tired and hungry **and** the day was barely half over.

_Why the hell did I get myself into this? I sort of got caught up in the moment… But I can't help but feel like this is the right thing to do. Oh well, I guess I'll just see where this takes me. _

And so I did.

**To be continued…**


	17. Geass: Ouch

Audacity chapter 17.

*You're probably wondering when I sleep… my answer to that is 'almost never'. Strange as it may be I seem to do my best work when I'm tired. I know, I know… it makes no sense to me either. Regardless, I present to you another chapter in rapid succession.

Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. Yes indeed, he was deliberately answering Tamaki as opposed to Ohgi. And I agree, that letting the whole of Ohgi's group know Kallen has information they want **is **risky, however it is also useful. Primarily because; if they have someone else to pester for info they're less likely to bother him.

Once again thank you for the repeated reviews.

After picking up my green sweatshirt where I had discarded it I walked off in towards the better part of town.

_Okay what would be the best way to acquire weapons and other such materials? _I focused most of my brain power on this question. As I slipped off the mask and returned it to its concealed position.

_I suppose I could always acquire a large truck or big rig; drive up to the nearest military installation, and Geass the soldiers to fill it up with all the stuff I want… but that's hardly subtle._

I thought about it for a while longer but found no other solution that I could come across without having heavy intelligence work. Or at least ties with smugglers of some sort.

_Then again I'm not a very subtle person. _I sighed heavily. I quickly formed a half-baked plan.

_Step one- acquire truck. Step two- visit the main consulate building. Step three- get the fuck out of there._ It seemed simple enough, there were lots of holes I would have to fill with my Geass. But I decided it would work… This time at least.

Naturally, I didn't know where I could find a truck stop or the near equivalent. So I decided waiting at a four-way intersection would be the next best thing. Leaning against a brick wall belonging to an antique store I waited patiently.

To this day I honestly believe, time spent thinking clearly is never time wasted. However in got to the point where I started getting tired of thinking clearly… That was after about two hours of sitting there staring at cars go by of course.

Don't get me wrong the plan worked wonderfully I saw several large trucks capable of carrying three or four knightmares and an ass load of supplies. However the pivotal point of this whole waiting game was for me to be able to **stop** the truck. And naturally I wasn't just going to stand in the road and hope they didn't splatter me.

I would just have to wait until one was forced to stop when the light changed to red. Very, very, very patiently.

_Perhaps I should Geass myself so I could have infinite patience… or maybe even infinite willpower. _

I decided against both, I didn't want to waste a potential Trump card unless absolutely necessary.

I was unable to continue my thoughts of self-manipulation (no pun intended.) for **finally **a truck of sizable nature stopped at the light.

_About fucking time! _I thought excitedly as I sprinted up to the driver side door. I had to climb onto it in order to get eye level with the driver. Shortly afterwards I knocked on the glass startling the man. He rolled down the glass with a look of utter confusion, but I would fix that.

I didn't give him a chance to say anything I simply jumped right to it.

"{Obey me.}" I waited a brief second for the effect to lock itself in, and as to not draw attention I gave my orders quickly.

"Take me to the Viceroy's consulate. The eastern entrance specifically." Not even bothering to wait for a response I ran around to the passenger side of the truck and entered after a short climb upwards. Being sure to fasten my seatbelt in the empty seat I motioned for the driver to continue onwards.

The driver wore a light blue baseball hat that of which looked very well loved over the years, had the beginnings of a beard and a healthy tan on his left arm and appeared to be in his mid-40s; living a perfectly respectable life.

_Too bad I'm going to have to involve him in this mess… _I pushed the thought away trying to think about it as he changed course down a street I did not recognize. It then occurred to me that if there was already material loaded into the container I would need to have it removed.

"Driver." I said to catch his attention. "What cargo are you hauling?"

"{Nothing but mattresses Captain.}" I smirked slightly when he called me 'Captain' passing it off as an interesting personality quirk.

"Very well then, carry on my previous orders." The man gave a mock salute but never took his eyes off the road.

I placeed my injured hand on my lap protectively as I stared out the window.

_I'll just have to Geass the personnel to both form a perimeter and to load and unload the crap I have and want._

I flicked on my Geass and stared at its reflection in the glass.

_This power… I've already abused it. It's only a matter of time before I seriously fuck something up with it._

Doing my best to ignore my slight self-loathing I redirected my thoughts onto worst-case scenarios regarding my current mission. Honestly the only way something could have gone wrong is if I ran into the same guards I had Geassed during my last visit… Unlikely, but possible.

_More than likely they fired everyone that was involved in maintaining the knightmares, regardless of whether or not they were the ones Geassed._

The consulate became visible in the distance. I smiled and waited until the driver slowed to a stop in front of the wrought-iron gate. A guard came up to the driver side with his weapon drawn.

_They're more suspicious this time around… But that's only natural considering what happened last time they had a lax in security._

"Over here! Passenger side! I have the clearance." I shouted through the once again open window of the driver's side. The guard angled around the front of the truck never once losing his concentration as he scanned the windshield and other Windows. Once he was beside me I rolled down the window.

"{Obey me.}" And it was simple as that. The next 15 min. involved a lot of driving around over to the loading dock where the truck could be handled properly. Apparently they had a specific area made for unloading trucks of this size if not larger according to the guard at least. Which didn't surprise me really, an installation of this size would have many needs and the means to accommodate them.

Once we had backed the truck against the concrete loading dock I stepped out and walked towards a pair of armed guards.

"Excuse me! Yes you two!" Sure that I had their attention I did my thing. "{For the rest of today you will follow my orders.} First order of business; bring me your commander." Both of them immediately ran off to complete their assigned task. It didn't take long for them to return with an older man with graying hair and an almost tired expression about him.

"Are you the one in charge here?" the man nodded and had a quizzical look about him.

"Yes I'm the-" I cut him off.

"{Obey me.}" I was starting to get tired of that command. "I order you to unload that 18 wheeler over there." I pointed at my chariot. "And fit as many nightmares as you can inside of it, however I also require that you get at least 50 assault rifles, 50 handguns, and 50 sets of body armor to fit as well. Not to mention ammunition accordingly."

The officer saluted in confirmation but I wasn't quite done yet.

"One more thing, you are to delete all security information and video that has been and will be recorded today."

"{Sir!}" The man saluted once again and set about his task. While he was doing this I decided it would be a good idea to call Kallen and give her and the others a heads up. However I noticed as I was scrolling through my contacts that I did not have her number.

_That's fine, I'll just call Milly and get it from her. _I clicked on Milly's number and lifted the phone to my ear. After two tones she picked up.

"Hello!" Came a cheerful greeting from the other side of the phone.

"Hey Milly, can you text me Kallen's number." I decided to come up with a cover story quickly before she could tease me. "She dropped her ID in the foyer and I've been looking for her all day."

"Oh, sure no problem. By the way, you're skipping school again aren't you?" I smirked slightly.

"And what would you say if I said yes?" She sighed into the receiver.

"Is not what I'll say you have to worry about, it's what your precious girlfriends gonna say to you when you get back." That hadn't even occurred to me.

"I'm not worried about it." I lied.

"You know you can't lie to me Lelouch, besides Shirley told me what happened during the movie. You're quite the Casanova aren't you?" I couldn't stop the blush from invading my face.

"Dammit woman! Just text me Kallen's number!" I heard a shrill laugh right before I hung up angrily. I stood there for about 2 minutes fuming inwardly before the text came.

And nature to save the number into my contacts list that way I wouldn't have to go to Milly just for her number again. I clicked on the call button.

It took several rings but she eventually answered.

"L-Cypher?" her choice of names told me that she was still around her comrades, scratch that, our comrades.

"Yes." I confirmed.

"How did you get my number?" I smiled evenly.

"I have my ways." I said cryptically. "But that's irrelevant, I have the weapons and ammunition and a few knightmares. I just wanted to know whether not I should drop them off at the warehouse or somewhere else?"

Silence followed by almost incoherent stuttering followed my question.

"W-w- how did you- that was fast!" I looked upwards and observed the soldiers beginning to load what appeared to be pallets of ammunition into the container of the truck.

"I know, I'm awesome. But once again that's not the important part. I need to know where I can drop this off."

"Umm, yeah. The warehouse should be fine, as long as it's not too many knightmares."

"Excellent." I concluded. "Be there in less than two hours." I then hung up, not giving her a chance to say anything more. The officer then came back over to me seemingly to report.

"{Objectives completed Sir!}" I smiled sadistically.

"Good, I'll perform an inspection and as long as nothing is amiss I'll be on my way. And remember nobody is to know of me being here."

"{Sir! Understood.}" I walked up the concrete siding and peered into the back of the container. Inside were four Nightmares, Sutherlands to be specific, that of which were pushed and squeezed in with almost no room to spare. In front of the nightmares were 18 pallets stacked accordingly filling the container perfectly leaving almost no room for the door to shut.

I jumped up and grabbed the strap letting gravity do most of the work I pulled the door down until it clicked shut. Just before I decided to leave, a hilarious idea made it into my mind.

I had to run in order to catch up to the commanding officer but I caught him before he turned the corner of the building.

"Hold on! I want you to give whoever the new Viceroy is this." I pushed towards him a piece of paper I had scribbled a few lines on with a pen I lifted from the driver's consul.

The note read as such.

_**Dear moron in charge.**_

_**I'm in yo' base! Fuckin' it up! HAHAHAHA!**_

_**Sincerely.**_

_**Cypher 01. **_

I couldn't help but snicker as I made my way back to the truck. This is guaranteed to elicit a reaction from **someone. **But as to whom I had no clue.

But I didn't think about it too much, for I had some allies to impress.

It felt rather embarrassing, but I ended up falling asleep on the ride back to the docks. Fortunately for me I had given the driver directions prior to my fit of unconsciousness.

The truck lurched to a stop in front of the specified warehouse jarringly me awake rudely. Immediately I scrambled to put on my mask and remove my sweatshirt. Shaking the sleep off of me by stretching I hopped out and walked over to the roll down gate. Knocking three times loudly I waited.

It opened once more revealing the same interior, however this time around there were only four people.

Tamaki, Ohgi, Kallen, and the woman with the long blue hair… I believe her name was Inoue.

"Ladies, gentlemen… Tamaki… I present to you the cargo in this… Well fuck people! It's a truck it's not very elegant, just help me unload it." I ordered as I clicked the latch and lifted the door.

"Holy shit!" was Tamaki's outburst as he viewed the supplies inside. I inspected the area where the door had previously clicked into place and found an extendable ramp, once said ramp was extended I began unloading first by separating the boxes of ammunition and carrying them down two at a time.

_Damn this shit is heavy! If it weren't for Gray Jack I probably couldn't even lift this this._ A stray thought caused me to cast my thoughts outward.

_Do you hear me you creepy bastard? I thank you… Don't get used to it._

I walked over and placed the ammunition in a corner with the intention of starting a pile similar to the pallet it came in. I noticed Oghi had removed his jacket and began unloading along with Tamaki.

I also spotted Kallen and Inoue attempting to pick up boxes as well. And I would have none of that!

"Wait! Quit what you're doing!" I shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Ladies, this is a man's work. Let us do the heavy lifting." Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Tamaki and Ohgi backing away from Kallen.

Kallen dropped the box she had been holding with a thud and marched over to me with her fists clenched. It took a vast amount of restraint to **not** panic and back away.

"What are you trying to say? Just because I'm a woman means I'm not as strong?"

_Not good… _I thought awkwardly.

"No- I mean." I stopped briefly to recover myself. Leaning forward I snatched Kallen's right-hand and pulled it up to the mouth of the mask in a mock kiss.

"Delicate flowers should not be put to the grind." _Perfect, crisis averted. _Or so I thought.

Her face turned a deep shade of crimson as she displayed an intense visage of anger and embarrassment.

She then proceeded to knee me in the balls. This in turn elicited high-pitched yelp from me, soon afterwards I fell over onto my right side clutching my crotch protectively.

"Jerk…" she said that in an ordinary volume while turning back and continuing to move boxes of ammunition and rifles.

_Oooooowwwwwwccccccchhhhhh! What the fuck! I was trying to be a gentleman! Oh shit where'd lefty go! _

I felt around briefly and quickly relaxed as much as I could through the intestine churning pain. (All males know this to some extent.)

_That was close, I thought I lost a testicle for a moment there… _

Rolling over and pushing myself up with a grunt I wobbled up to a standing position while leaning over slightly.

"AHAHAHAH! I wish I had a camera!" laughed Tamaki as he set down another box of ammo. I lifted my middle finger at him and continued lifting shit. Grumbling quietly to myself all the while.

It took about 45 minutes, but we managed to get everything except for the knightmares unloaded.

When it came time to move those Kallen walked over to me. Instinctively I grabbed my crotch protectively and turned to the side.

"What?" I almost hissed. Still looking slightly angry she extended to me what looked like a USB drive.

"Help me move the knightmares out…" I wanted to face-palm, but that would have required me to let my guard down near my midsection. So instead I was flat-out honest… Sort of.

"I can't, I don't know how to pilot." The look of shock that she expressed quickly overwhelmed all her other emotions.

"But in Shinjuku-" I cut her off.

"Wasn't me in the knightmare, like I said I can't pilot, you'll have to do it yourself. Or with the others if they know how." I tacked on.

"we'll have to fix that, I can teach you if you'd like." She offered. I smirked under my mask and let loose a sarcastic remark.

"Hmmm? Private lessons? Sounds like fun." And just like that the 'angry Kallen' returned. I immediately backed up and said to the group.

"Okay that's it for today; I'm leaving now before I lose another testicle." This caused Tamaki to burst out laughing once more. Even Ohgi cracked a smile.

I made sure to tell the driver that he could leave as soon as they were done unloading and that he was to forget and erase all evidence of our activities together. And once those objectives were completed he was to continue acting as his normal self.

_Didn't think Kallen would do something like that… But I have to admit she is fun to tease. _I thought this as I slipped on my green sweatshirt a good distance away.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen between me and my newfound allies. However, I did know one thing, I was really, really hungry…

**To be continued…**


	18. Geass: Complications and preparations

Audacity chapter 18.

*Whenever I want to set a mood for the chapter I typically pop in a specific genre of music, this time around I popped in Avenged Sevenfold… so you can imagine where that's going. I've also noticed my insomnia is finally getting to me, it might have something to do with the fact that I haven't slept since I wrote chapter 15. Regardless as I previously stated I seem to do my best work when I'm tired. Moving on*

Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. I guarantee you will catch wind of the new Viceroy receiving Cypher 01's letter. I can't guarantee you that it will be in first person, but regardless you will have a reaction of sorts.

Response to review by: Atrile. I would've updated a third time however the website got mad at me or something like that and wouldn't let me post. That aside, you will be delighted to know that sanity is but a perspective, and my character's point of view is going to be changed drastically within the next few chapters. If you get what I mean.

Response to review by: LEGENDRY. My characters anger issues are heavily dependent upon his sanity, meaning that if he is unstable he is significantly more likely to flip his lid than if he were stable at the time.

When it comes to Shirley I agree, the relationship is destined to become strained or broken altogether. She served as a restraint to the madness that built within him due to his situation. As to his amnesia he will eventually reveal it to those close to him… Or so I have planned.

My character's use of his Geass was directly influenced by its own limitations, since he could only use it one time per person he decided to make it useful. Along the lines of him using the Emperor's speeches against him I'm not so sure of. Primarily because of the fact that he does not keep up with politics to good, however I can imagine that coming back to bite him on the ass.

As to my choice of naming chapters, I'm glad somebody finally noticed it. It is as you have surmised I plan to use this character again someday under the same circumstances probably. And I'm in agreement with you as to the matter of his building of 'The Black Knights'.

Before we get to the battle with the JLF we must first make it through the Lake Kawaguchi incident as well as the Saitama ghetto trap.

Another point I barely caught before I submitted this chapter was your comment about the truck from last chapter. I agree to a certain extent… But you must remember even nowadays military vehicles have GPS tracking capabilities, one can only imagine what Britannia might have. That aside, you must remember my character did something similar to get to the consulate the first time. Then again… He didn't steal anything did he?

I really do love responding to your reviews, mostly because they're so analytical.

After I returned to my dorm safe and sound, I acquired something to eat. Shortly afterward, I confined myself within my room. I make sure to deposit my mask in the desk drawer as usual and collapsed onto the bed.

_I swear to God, if I have another creepy dream__while I'm sleeping,__I'm going to be pissed_ I thought slowly as I sprawled across the mattress and rolled into the blankets. I had no other intelligent thoughts before I passed out.

*The next morning.*

I awoke, facing the wall. I almost didn't have the willpower to get up, to take a shower, and to change my clothes… Almost.

Right as I entered the kitchen, I made myself a sandwich and tore into it vigorously, devouring it within minutes.

Still in a daze, I ambled towards the Student Council room. Pushing open the door, I found Nina there, first as usual.

"Oh, good morning Lelouch." She greeted as she turned around briefly from her computer. I merely grunted deeply in response. Immediately afterward, I seated myself in a chair, faced the door once more, and let my head fall against the table. My thoughts, slowed by my tired state, were about Ohgi, Kallen, and the rest of her- scratch that- _my_ resistance faction.

_I'll find out where their loyalties lie as soon as we get into an actual conflict. I'm sure Kallen won't falter, but I don't know about that Tamaki guy… Seems like a pain in the ass to me._

I turned my head over and looked at my left hand, inspecting the bandage. There were blood stains bleeding through both sides, but I determined it didn't need to be changed yet. I couldn't wait until somebody asked about it; I already had the perfect cover story.

Abruptly, my thoughts directed themselves towards Nina. And I wondered what I can do to fuck with her. I observed my environment briefly in search of something that could be used. I stood up weakly and shuffled over to her. She turned to look at me as I came close; I took advantage of that. Leaning in very close, less than 3 inches from her face, I locked eyes with her, causing her to freeze in panic. I raised an eyebrow as if to scrutinize her.

"You should get contacts," I declared in a cryptic manner after several seconds of awkward silence. She blushed lightly and leaned back.

"W-what?" she stammered out quietly.

"You heard me, you should get contacts." I glanced over at the computer monitor for the time: It was 10:57. About time for me to go pick up the cigarettes I had 'ordered'. I then walked away from Nina saying nothing more, not even sparing a passing glance nor a goodbye.

As I walked towards the vending machine, I thought about the trouble I could get into if I was caught smoking… Not that it couldn't be fixed with Geass. I just figured it might be a pain.

_What was that guy's name again? It started with an N… Ahh, can't remember, don't care._

I reached the spot the four boys had been smoking at yesterday and, just as planned, the boy was there, waiting for me. The exchange (if you could even call it that) occurred with hardly a word spoken. In fact, he left quickly afterward.

_Not a bad guy this… Whatever the hell his name is, he even got me a lighter. _I determined.

I decided I couldn't simply walk around campus with a carton of cigarettes, so I removed my jacket and wrapped it around the carton. I felt a little out of place as I walked back, but I'm sure it was due to the missing jacket. I hid the cigarettes in the same place as my mask. Just as I was exiting my room for the second time, my phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, I noticed it was Shirley. I immediately picked up.

"Hello?" I asked calmly.

"Lelouch!" it sounded like I was in trouble. "Where were you yesterday? You completely skipped homeroom and chemistry!"

"Wait… How did you know I skipped homeroom?" I was met by an exasperated sigh.

"You and I have homeroom together Lelouch. Rivalz and Nina too." My eyes widened at this. It made sense that I didn't know she was in my homeroom because the school didn't keep an active roster for homeroom attendance.

"Hold on, I'll be right there!" I hung up quickly and began running towards the designated classroom.

Juke left, juke right, scramble around the table, skirt the main body of students, hug the wall and skid to a stop: all abundant maneuvers exercised as I sprinted towards my homeroom class, which by my reckoning should've already started. I drew the curious glances of many students, but I didn't care. I had finally made it to my objective.

"Sorry I'm late," I announced under my panting after I threw open the door, "accident with the….." I looked up and saw something quite out of the ordinary… Better yet someone.

"Suzaku?" indeed it was him, there was no mistaking it. Suzaku Kururugi was standing next the teacher, apparently introducing himself to the class. I couldn't help but break a half-smile.

Okay I am very confused right now. I walked up to Suzaku and slapped him on the shoulder playfully.

"Hey man, when did you start going here?" I said while eyeing his uniform. Suzaku's eyes widened in either fear or worry. I couldn't quite tell.

"I-I just started doing here t-today." This was strange, he was nothing like the confident young man I had seen earlier. I turned to look for an open seat and noticed the entire class was glaring at him….

Unacceptable.

_**Click.**_

"And just what the hell you think you guys are glaring at! Show some God damn respect, he's new here!" Many of the students averted their gaze to anything but Suzaku, though some still defied me.

Somewhere towards the back the classroom I heard a retort: "But he's an 11."

That comment really pissed me off.

"What of it?" I challenged openly. "You got something to say, you say to me. I won't stand for someone showing any discrimination towards him simply because he was born in a different nation." It was hard to keep the feral growl from reaching my voice as my anger seethed. Either nobody wanted to make a scene, or they were all intimidated because nobody said anything. Seeing this, I took a seat at an open desk and motioned for Suzaku to do the same. Soon after he sat down, the entire class began studying with an eerie silence. I noticed Suzaku ripped a piece of paper and began scribbling on it.

He then slid the torn piece of paper over to me. It read: **'What the hell are you doing?'**

I rolled my eyes. I had to steal his pencil to write my own reply. **'Whatever I feel like.'**

Suzaku's eyes narrowed as he read the note. I looked around the classroom as he wrote a response. It wasn't hard to spot Shirley, and I also spotted Nina , Rivalz and Kallen. I stared at Shirley for moment until she looked up and exchanged glances with me.

She looked very upset about something, 'I would have to confront her about it later,' I determined. But for now I just smiled and waved kindly. She offered a weak smile in return, but then her look of sadness redoubled.

_Strange…_ I thought absently. Looking down, I noticed Suzaku had passed the note back to me.

**'I don't want you defending me because you feel obligated as a friend.' **Snatching the pencil away from him in a seemingly angry fashion, I justified my actions.

**'I did it because I felt it was right, now just shut up and be content with it.'** Suzaku read the note and smiled softly, which to be honest with you, I found a little bit creepy.

**'You've changed.'** was what he wrote next. This time he slid the pencil to me, which was good, meaning that I didn't have to take it from him again.

**'More than you'll ever know.'** That was last thing written on the piece of paper. The rest of the class was 'enjoyed' in near silence, save for the sound of flipping pages and scraping pencils.

Finally, after almost an entire hour of pure boredom, the bell rang, signifying the end of hell. The instant it rang, most all of the students and the teacher stood up and proceeded out the door, presumably headed to their next class.

I was about to begin a conversation with Suzaku, however I noticed someone standing at the desk to my left as if they were waiting for my attention. I turned to find Shirley; she had the same troubled expression as earlier, perhaps even more troubled.

"Umm… Lelouch can I talk to you for a minute?" she said meekly. Alarm bells went off immediately in my head and I became worried as to what she might want to talk about. I turned to Suzaku briefly.

"I'd like to catch up, but I need to handle something first…" I trailed off not, quite knowing how to word the rest of my sentence.

"Yeah sure, we'll catch up some other time. It was great seeing you Lelouch." I nodded as he stood to leave.

"What was it you wanted to talk about Shirley?" I asked turning back to my girlfriend, giving her my undivided attention.

"You see, my dad got fired from his job recently." My eyes narrowed as I formed an outline. "As it turns out, he worked on knightmares for the military." She paused holding back the sob. "He never even told me, he told me he worked on cars."

I began filling the page of my outline. My thought. My fear. I stood up and put my hand on Shirley's shoulder protectively.

"Everything will be fine, I'm sure your dad can find another job…" I said hopefully, though my efforts to console her only led to more bad news.

"That's not the worse part though…. He had another job lined up back in the homeland." Tears began to fall from her face which caught the attention of the three remaining students, now interested in the unfolding scene.

I would have none of that.

"{Leave.}" I told each of them. They mindlessly complied and left the room. Turning back to Shirley, I asked. "When you say back in the homeland, do you mean he's going to move your entire family there?"

"H-he wants us to move back by the end of this week." I clenched my teeth and let a frown stain my face. I decided this was the time to comfort Shirley, not get angry… For once.

I enveloped Shirley into a strong hug letting her cry on my shoulder. I held her for several minutes, but I did not let the contact stimulate my thoughts; I already had them racing towards several solutions.

_Who fired her father? Did it have anything to do with my stealing equipment from the consulate? She said her father worked for the military, so I suppose that is more than possible. Fuck! That means this is my fault._

I clenched my hands, causing a line of pain to go up the left one. I endured it regardless. I would've held her longer, but my phone began vibrating. I backed up slightly murmuring words of apologies to Shirley as I checked the caller ID.

I didn't recognize the number, which meant it was more than likely one of the resistance members.

"Hello?" I questioned.

"Cypher, sir. This is Ohgi, we have a bit of a problem." It didn't seem like I was going to catch a break anytime soon.

"What's wrong?" I asked, expecting the worst.

"It's the new Viceroy Sir, you've really done it now… Wherever you gathered these supplies from, you really pissed her off."

"Well yes, I expected that." I responded, starting to think this was a trivial matter.

"But that's not the problem. The real problem is that she's surrounded the Saitama ghetto and has even gone and announced the start time of her attack!"

"Who is the new Viceroy?" I asked while ensuring my voice was kept down so not even Shirley could overhear.

"You haven't heard the news…. It doesn't matter. Her name is Cornelia Li Britannia." I had a name; all I needed now was a line of sight.

_Cornelia… Almost rings a bell, that it does._ I turned and looked at Shirley, I had no idea how I could explain to her that I needed to leave… Or even if I wanted to.

_No, I have to._ I quickly began thinking of a believable excuse.

"Okay I'll be at the warehouse to help set things up." I hung up the phone and quickly turned back to Shirley.

"Shirley…" I began slowly. "I want to talk to you more about this later, but right now my boss just called and says there's an accident… And that I need to go help out." The look of disappointment on her face caused my heart to wrench, but I couldn't let that stop me.

"That's fine… I didn't know you had a job." She said with a defeated tone. I clenched my left hand harder, using the pain to block out my regret.

"Yeah, I work at a bookstore. I'll call you when I'm done." She seemed to brighten up a little, which in turn allowed me to breathe a little easier despite the fact I had just lied to her.

"Sure." I leaned in and kissed her quickly. It was hurried and inaccurate, but it got my point across.

From that point on, I hauled ass: flat-out sprinting back to my dorm so I could discard this jacket, acquire the green one, and obtain my mask. The moment I entered my room, I noticed CC lying on my bed indecently. Ignoring this, I gathered my required items, panting slightly all the while. As I was about to leave she spoke aloud.

"Off to go get caught in Cornelia's trap?" I turned and looked at her as I was standing in the open doorway.

"You expect me to just watch?" she sat up, getting off the bed.

"You shouldn't answer a question with another question." She said as she walked to the center of the room. I was about to say something, but she immediately pulled out my High Point .45.

"I can't let you go Lelouch. If you die, my wish won't be fulfilled."

"Who is stupider? The person trying to kill themselves? Or the person trying to kill the person that's trying to kill themselves?" My asinine question was rewarded with a rare look of confusion coming from the immortal.

"Regardless… I'm doing this, go ahead and shoot me if you want, I know you won't kill me. But know this, even if you do I'll still hobble to the battlefield." I spread my stance and faced her directly, an air of determination forming.

"So if you shoot me you'll be indirectly killing me, simply because you narrowed my margin of survival." CC lowered her gun- scratch that- _**my**_ gun slightly.

"Well, at least you're a determined fool."

Confident that I wouldn't be shot in the back, I continued hauling ass towards the warehouse where my allies awaited.

*Warehouse nine.*

"Ohgi! I want to know all possible entrances to Saitama." I demanded the moment I entered the worn down warehouse.

"Aside from the roads, there is a subway system that runs throughout almost the entirety of Saitama, however many of the tunnels are collapsed and unusable."

"But there should be a way in through there, correct?" he nodded a weak affirmative. I studied the map for a brief moment to determine something.

"Their main area of operations, meaning their headquarters, will most likely be located here." I pointed to the main road entering Saitama. "And assuming that this subway map is accurate." I motioned towards the map next to the first, it depicted a series of red lines designating underground tunnels. "We should it be able to pop up just about anywhere in the city even if a few tunnels are collapsed."

Many of the others nodded. The original seven were present and accounted for, though there were several whom I was not acquainted with.

"How many people do we have at our disposal?" Tamaki was the one to respond.

"32 the last time you guys made me count." I rolled my eyes at his clearly disrespectful manner.

"Including me?" I asked.

"You can't seriously hope to fight on the ground like an ordinary footsoldier! You're too valuable to lose out there like that!" Kallen shouted.

"Well I can't pilot a nightmare, and I can't ask you guys to do something I'm not willing to do myself. Not while keeping a clear conscience at least. So that means I'll be fighting on the ground, but if it makes you feel any better I have a different objective." Kallen exhaled slightly in relief.

"I plan to kill Cornelia myself; however I need a little help." I decided I didn't want to pull any knightmare pilots away from the battle so I had to choose people who are unskilled in combat.

"I'll go with you." Kallen volunteered immediately.

"No, you the best knightmare pilot we have. You'll be needed elsewhere. Instead, I'll take only two with me… I don't care who it is as long as you can't pilot a knightmare." I studied the map once more.

"As to our deployment, I want you all to get as close to the center of the city as possible and link up with the resistance already present. You are to try and cooperate with them, but overall you are to follow Ohgi's orders until I am able to make it to a knightmare myself, or the battle ends."

I looked up into the faces of all those present. Most of them seemed confident if not excited, only a few looked worried.

"All right load up! Everyone takes at least a pistol and protective gear!" There were dozens of confirmations from the group as everyone scattered to collect the required armaments.

I myself donned the protective gear in full. I had put away my mask as I donned the full-faced protective helmet that almost all the others chose to discard. I really did like the helmets, for they provided a radio/intercom system. It was preset on something, but I made sure to have everyone tune into frequency 77.6.

I kept the Glock under my arm as usual, the model 36 stayed in its designated area as well. The bandolier system on the inside of the chest plate was interesting: it was like a giant magazine, but in exchange for bullets it pushed forward ordinary magazines for the Britannian model 209. I made sure to fit the maximum number allotted, which turned out to be exactly ten. I didn't like the fact that I had the funny sounding USp.45 in my hip holster, but I ignored it.

There was a combat knife on the right thigh pad of the armor which pushed me over the top. I honestly felt like I was over-armed, but I had a sinking feeling I might need all of it.

I lifted the model 209 and inserted its first magazine.

_223 Remington, 31 rounds…_

I pulled back the action to the rifle causing a large *chick chick* to emanate from the firearm. As I did this I thought:

_Bitch gonna pay…_

**To be continued…**


	19. Geass: Lifetaker and bone breaker

Audacity chapter 19.

*I've been looking forward to this chapter ever since I started writing this fan fiction. It might take a little bit longer than the others to produce an update, however this is because I'm trying to make it a little bit more awesome sauce. Also I weird side note, I noticed that this chapter was written on Friday the 13th.*

Yeah yeah you know the drill… .

Everything was set; most everyone was in position save for myself and two others. Using my comrade's knowledge of the area I determined a triple collapsing line of defense would be best in order to fulfill our objectives. The strategy consisted of, simply enough, three lines of defense. However the order of operations that of which it could respond to threats was far from simple and hardly predictable.

The outer line was the thinnest and mostly consisted of foot soldiers and three or four knightmares. Their job was to hold the line until things got hectic beyond the point of coordination. They were to fire only when fired upon or if the enemy attempted to breach the line. Once they collapsed and fell back to the second line of defense the entirety of the foot soldiers were to hide in a specific set of buildings designated by Ohgi until the enemy found its way to the second line.

Once the second line was reached by our enemies there would be 10 to 12 Kightmares awaiting them in the best cover available they would perform much like the first line however casualties were absolutely unacceptable and they were to take no risks when engaging. Once they became overtaxed they were to fall back into the third line of defense which consisted of the original resistance members of Saitama, and the remainder of the nightmares.

Once the third line a became fully engaged the foot soldiers hidden after the first line collapsed would engage all enemy armor from behind causing a vast amount of casualties and forcing the enemy to break formation.

This plan was specifically designed so it would stall the Britannians as long as possible with as little maintenance as possible. Which meant it was ideal for our current situation. Getting into Saitama was simple enough, it was as Oghi had predicted; many of the subway tunnels had collapsed due to various reasons. But it was also as I surmised, being that there were pathways regardless of how many detours we had to take.

Using the helmets fact sphere range enhancement system I zoomed in and observed the G1 mobile base from a distance of about 70 yards away. Turning back to the two I brought with me I went over the plan one more time.

"Yuki." I said to the man who had the exact same set of armor as I did, facemask included. "Your job is to set explosives underneath every knightmare you can get under." Yuki affirmed his orders as he double checked the 1 pound bricks of C-4 that had been provided to him. I then looked over to the other man.

"Yamada, I want you to take the larger explosives and plant them wherever you can on the G1. If I'm not out in less than half an hour…. Blow it to hell…." I said with the finality of an ultimatum. Yamada nodded although his hesitation was brazenly apparent.

At this point in time I completely acknowledged the fact that I might not come back alive, possibly not even in one piece. The thought did not make me shudder, in fact I grinned wickedly beneath the helmet.

"All right move-up, approach from different areas and get your jobs done, remember that I might detonate the C-4 within 10minutes of me getting in there… So plant it quickly." the three of us separated and approached the G1 and its surrounding encampment. Now on my own I walked slowly with a purpose, holding my assault rifle in a leisurely fashion. I spoted of the G1 past a table filled with various pieces of equipment. There was dozens of personnel, however they were all occupied their various tasks.

Avoiding people wherever possible I walked next to the G1 within arm's length of its armored exterior. While walking I counted a minimal of 14 Sutherlands with an additional 3 Gloucesters. And that was just around the G1…

_Yuki doesn't have enough boom-shakalaka to handle all those nightmares, he should be able to get at least 10 though. _I thought grimly as I approached the two guards on the side entrance of the foremost right leg panel. Detaching the goggles I activated my Geass and spoke to them.

"{Do not allow anyone other than me in or out of this vehicle, and if you see Cornelia… Kill her.}"

"{Yes sir!}" They both snapped a salute and stood aside. I left the goggles detached and hanging around my neck.

_I'm lucky they don't require their soldiers to wear these goggles all the time. _That was very true, in fact the only time I can remember seeing the goggles worn, was when a soldier was in actual combat or in a hazardous environment. I entered the mobile base and found no one inside that specific hallway. As much as I hated it, I un-holstered the USP.45 and began to clear rooms one by one.

I casually opened the first door to my right…. Nothing, just a series of panels and meters I didn't understand. I walked slowly through the next door which was located a dozen steps away down the hall. Inside I could hear voices. I slowly turned the handle to the door and peered inside, there were two noncombat personnel operating a series of screens and monitors.

"Attention bitches!" both men jumped and looked directly at me clearly shocked out of their minds. "{Obey me.}" Their features immediately smoothed over and assumed a dull expression. "Delete all records from today and cut communications to the Britannian forces if possible. And if you see Cornelia, kill her." I had no idea whether or not that was the actual control room, or whether or not it had any significance at all, but regardless my peons would carry out their tasks to the best of their abilities… Or so I hoped.

I passed through a narrow staircase onto the upper level. I leaned against the doorway and peered down a poorly lit hallway. Two guards, assault rifles, handguns, frag grenades…. And unfortunately facemasks.

_Shit! I only see two ways to handle this, try to take them out quietly with the USP, or just unload on them with the model 209… fuck it. _I went for the latter option. Being sure that the safety was off I leaned out further and put the barrel to the side of the doorframe. I snugged into a crouching position and lined up the first shot.

**CLACK! **

I fired only once at first to ensure the highest accuracy possible. I didn't even confirm whether or not the first-round hit its mark for I immediately let loose a flurry of ordnance. Sparks and pieces of black armor sprayed and ricocheted throughout the hallway as my muzzle flash gave the bodies of the dying an angular look due to the strobe like light show it produced. I didn't stop until the magazine was empty.

As soon as the ringing in my ears came down to a manageable level I ejected the spent magazine and inserted a new one, the action closed forward the moment the first round entered the chamber. I sprinted up hugging the wall while keeping my rifle aimed at the door. Crouching down by the dead soldiers I screamed in mock terror.

"It's Cypher 01! He's by the staircase!" I leaned over and angled myself to pick up the two discarded assault rifles and put on a show of sorts; letting loose periodic bursts of gunfire from each rifle separately until both were empty.

"He's down! Kill confirmed!" I shouted as loud as I could, still barely able to hear myself due to the ringing my ears. I leaned forward once more and patted down the corpse on my right until I found what I was looking for. It was significantly heavier than I expected but I was sure it would do its job nicely.

The door swung open violently as a broad chested man pushed aside the body to the left. I didn't think, I just reacted. I knew this man would overpower me if I was not careful, lofting my model 209 in my left hand I punched the barrel into his stomach and let loose a 5 to 10 round burst that sprayed me with Gore.

Thinking fast I spun around and huged the doorframe. That turned out to be a wonderful idea, for immediately afterwards small arms fire clinked along the wall in front of me clearly being shot from the room within.

"Darlton!" I heard a woman's voice scream. I took the momentary lapse in gunfire as an opportunity to pull the pin of the grenade and lob it into the room. It took less than a second to hear a chorus of profanities.

And less than five to hear the ear shattering **BOOOM! **

Despite the fact that I was outside of the room I still got shell-shocked, the force of the explosion caused my vision to blur in and out for several seconds. Shaking my head vigorously I peered inside ready to unload another magazine if necessary.

The site I saw was purely gruesome. Blood, bones, intestines, limbs, flaps of skin, and smoldering piles of the unknown covered almost every surface. I knew for a fact that it shouldn't look like this, explosions don't evenly paint the walls and ceiling.

_Someone dove on top of it… They threw someone onto it more than likely. _

I stood fully in the doorway, and with almost glazed expression surveyed its interior more critically. There was movement in the left corner, as well as behind the mounted chair in the back. I slipped and stumbled through the Gore until I reached it.

There was a black haired man with a ponytail draped over a woman, who I assumed was Cornelia. Laughing wickedly I shot the man three times adding blood splatters to the already defaced walls. It didn't appear to be lethal; two shots to the shoulder and one to the midsection. I kicked him off the Viceroy and took aim.

SHPWEE! SHPWEE!

The shots were not my own, this became doubly apparent as I felt two rounds bounce off the back of my armor, knocking the breath out of me. I whipped my assault rifle around and fired blindly in the direction of the original shots. I saw the man behind the center display table and corrected my automatic barrage accordingly resulting in at least half a dozen successful hits to the chest area.

An enormous force impacted into my lower stomach causing me to fly backwards and slide across the blood soaked floor.

_Bitch! She just kicked me! _

I sat up slightly and fired the few remaining rounds towards where the Viceroy had been, only to be shocked when my target was actually farther to the left on the other side of the chair. In a last-ditch effort to distract her before she could draw a weapon I hurled my firearm at her, she simply blocked with her arms causing the hunk of metal to clatter harmlessly to the floor.

I scrambled to my feet and attempted to draw the USP. Unfortunately I was immediately outclassed by a partial roundhouse kick to the ribs. The floor quickly rushed up to greet me as I banged my head against it. Shuffling desperately to my knees I was seized by Cornelia. She twisted my already injured arm behind my back all but breaking it with the colossal amount force that was put against it.

"You son of a bitch…" She growled, exuding the epitome of fury.

Every last part of my brain screamed at me to find a way out. In a last resort effort are reacted on instinct.

_This is gonna hurt! _I thought to myself as I drew the Glock and pressed the barrel against my lower stomach.

BAAH! BAAH!

Came the two muffled shots as I fired through the unarmored part of my body. Running off an adrenaline high I turned sharply to my left and broke the hold.

The adrenaline didn't last long for immediately felt the most excruciating pain possible on the back of my lower ribs.

The world was shaking. I flippantly aimed my Glock towards Cornelia and fired twice I dropped the gun from the recoil and fell to the ground. The pain was mind numbing, all my facilities were locking down and focusing on one thought.

_**FUCK! Why did I do that!**_ Whether I thought this or actually screamed out loud I knew not for the entire world was silent and gray.

_Need to… Get up… _I had to force my body to comply with all but the simplest commands. Limply holding the Glock I pulled myself up right only to hunch over immediately to hold my right side.

Logic, coherent thoughts, and common sense, none of these made it to me as I began a line drive anywhere but there. I fell down the stairs as I reached them. Once at the bottom my world became pure and unyielding pain once more as I began to dry heave from the intestinal damage. Crawling until I reached the doorframe I hauled myself up once more.

It took what seemed like days to make it to the end of the hallway and out the door. The light was blinding and I stumbled. Someone caught me then began screaming questions. That sounded something like.

"-Vicer-alri-wh-end—"clips and syllables was all I really heard. I managed to gain a minute fraction of my facilities and managed to say.

"Go to the, gahh! Viceroy…hurry." The man immediately let go of me and attempted to force his way inside, but the two guards I Geassed held him back. I shuffled off away from the camp as they continued their conflict.

_Need to… Detonate, the C-4. _I reached up and pressed the transmit button in the helmet.

"Shhpt* Detonate, explosives… do it now. Shhpt*" I had managed to walk into a destroyed building. once inside I faltered and leaned against a still standing wall. A huge wind buffeted me followed by a incense spike in temperature.

I couldn't hear anything after that.

Which way was up?

Where was I?

There's so much blood…

These things and more I idly wondered with the coherency of a coma patient. To this day I honestly stand by the statement that; until you have been shot… You do not know the full force and unadulterated power of physical agony…

Then I blacked out.

**To be continued..?**


	20. Geass: The end of stability

Audacity chapter 20.

*I want you all to keep in mind that my character is prone to acts of brazen stupidity triggered by instinct and panic and that his actions will not always be logical. Running off of that note I have a few interesting reviews to respond to now.*

Response to reviews by: Anon and Superl8. Thank you for your support, I did try chapter to make it a little bit better than my previous ones.

Response to review by: Atrile. Although Lelouch consistently uses and abuses his Geass he tends to ignore its existence at times, thinking that he can handle the situation physically… which is rarely the case.

Having the two guards come with them might've proved an issue I believe, primarily because of their commanding officer came up and said. "Hey, what happened to those two morons I put over here?" it would have immediately sparked an investigation and he didn't want that until the very last second.

Response to review by: Debido. As my character explains later, it was a snap decision.

Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. I agree, it constantly frustrated me when the original Lelouch left an enemy alive simply because he felt an attachment, or that they might prove useful for information that was irrelevant to the Black Knights.

Response to reviews by LEGENDRY. Holy crap dude, you need to rename yourself to 'the master of awesome sauce reviews' considering how much you put down. That aside, yes you are correct in assuming that my character does not have knowledge of the computers in Code Geass, in fact she only has knowledge of Windows 7 and Windows XP as well as a little bit of Macintosh…. Which as you can imagine does not apply to his current situation. He will have to learn those skills as well as how to pilot a Knightmare, which by the way I'm looking forward to depicting.

As to how he got into the G1, Cornelius forces were looking for external threats primarily, not someone who was dressed exactly like them in full suit. But regardless you still have a point, it was slightly unrealistic.

And as to the C-4 issue, the plan was never to blow everything to pieces, although that would've been nice, the plan was however to use it as a distraction when and if necessary. Even the C-4 planted on the Knightmares was to be directed as such .

Thank you very much for your continued and very thoughtful reviews I look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

I was… Being carried. At least as far as I was concerned I couldn't think much less move. My vision was a stark contrast of blue-and-white. All I could hear was ragged panting, a clear sign of exertion from someone. Then suddenly I was placed onto an object that was cold and hard. Shortly after my vision faded out once more.

My vision then snapped open clearly, I looked up to see a dull white ceiling.

_I'm alive? I'm alive… Sweet! I'm alive! _I then tried to sit up, however I immediately regretted that for lances of pain shot through my rib cage and lower stomach.

_Owwwchhh…. Dammit I'm alive. _I thought with significantly less enthusiasm. _I need to get up, catch my bearings. _I propped myself up for my uninjured hand and managed to sit up after a colossal effort.

Grunting with extreme discomfort I swung my leg over the edge of what I determined was a bed. I looked around the room and found that it was poorly maintained, the single chair in the corner and an old worn wooden door to its left. To my extreme right there was a cabinet and a boarded-up window.

_Okay, it's obvious I haven't been captured by the Britannians. I'd be in a prison cell if not worse. It seems like I've been picked up by my own people, that or someone who lives in Saitama. I don't even know if I'm still in Saitama… _

I then noticed what I was wearing, an old hospital gown.

_No, definitely not someone from Saitama. They would've seen the Brittanian body armor and left me there to die… Or stolen my shit. _

Deciding that it was either my own people, or some incredibly forgiving Japanese I did the only thing I could… I tried to walk. I put my right foot down, this required little to no effort on my part. I then proceeded to put my left foot down.

Pain immediately spiked throughout my entire left side, forcing through this best I could I managed to stay stable. I hobbled over to the Rectangular Cabinet, determining this is most likely what I could find something better to wear… Assuming my original clothes were being kept in the same room as me. Opening the cabinet I found exactly what I was looking for.

My tank top, pants, Mask and other such equipment was neatly layered inside. This was already strange, but it was stranger so when I noticed my mask was here and that the clothes were clean.

_Obviously someone cleaning my clothes isn't that unlikely, but my mask… The only other person who knew where it was would be Kallen._

This solidified my theory of being picked up by my own people. Reaching over and collecting the pants I tried putting them on one leg at a time. Similar to the bed incident my right leg was simple enough, my left leg proved to be absolute agony and caused an enormous spike in my pain threshold due to the damage in my midsection.

Regardless I wasn't going to lose to a pair of pants, clenching my teeth to the point where my gums almost bled, I strained and grunted until the pants were all the way up. The rest of the ensemble was easy enough save for maybe the shoes, they required an even greater amount of effort than the pants but I forced on regardless.

I had to sit down after I finished tying the shoes, gasping in pain and exertion I noticed I was bleeding slightly through a bandage on my side.

_Well I'm not dead, so they must have patched me up pretty good. _

The door swung open, which caused me to reach for my Glock instinctively. That was Kallen. She stared me with absolute shock, which quickly whipped into an expression of anger.

"What the hell are you doing? You'll open up your wounds!" I stared at her blankly allowing the stoic expression of the mask to guard my reaction.

"Sit rep… What happened? What's going on?" she looked as if she still wanted to complain, but instead gave the report I requested.

"Just before you ordered the explosives to be detonated, Yamada saw you stumbling away from the camp… They detonated the explosives as you ordered but shortly afterwards Yamada carried you here."

"Where is here?" I questioned quickly a feeling of dizziness overtaking me.

"Were in an old the hospital, I don't know its name… But were still in Saitama. Shortly after the explosives were detonated Britannians withdrew entirely! Your plan worked! We managed to save almost all of the civilians. The Britannians didn't even get past the second line!"

"No, I'm not sure yet whether or not my plan worked… I shot Cornelia at least twice… But after that everything became a blur." I stated sadly.

"Yeah, about that how did you get shot, when you were brought in you had muzzle burns on your stomach." I wasn't happy about answering that question.

"Cornelia managed to put me in a hold and I panicked… So I shot through my own stomach to hit her. Thinking about it now I could've just shot over my shoulder or something, however it was a snap decision." I paused lightly and went over the scenarios my head.

"Then again I could've just Geassed her…" _oh shit… _I immediately realized my tactical blunder. Kallen looked at me quizzically.

"Geassed?" I wasn't proud of it, but I'd have to use my Geass on an ally.

"This is further notice… You are to forget that I ever said the word 'Geassed' unless I bring it up… Continue acting as normal until further notice." I was ashamed of myself; I couldn't even talk to my friends and allies without dirtying their existence with this power.

"{Understood.}" Came her reply.

"How many people did we lose?" I questioned trying to fill the gap in her memory. She shook her head lightly, seemingly dazed but responded nonetheless.

"W-we, only sustained a few injuries here and there. However the original resistance group here accumulated several casualties before we arrived."

"As to be expected." I stated. She nodded, agreeing with me.

"What are our plans for the future?" she asked, she managed to ask me all the questions I just didn't want to answer.

"Acquire funding, more weapons, more Knightmares… continue protecting the weak. What else can we do?" I asked. She said nothing.

"I suppose if you really want to be optimistic we can plan for a future coup d'état." Her eyes widened in disbelief… I didn't want that, I didn't want to get her hopes up and then crush them later on just because it was too difficult, or I was dead.

"Why do you act like your normal self only when you're around me?" the question caught me completely off guard, I literally had no idea how to respond to that. "I mean, when you're with the others you act so differently… Like you're always on top of everything, always two steps ahead. But when it's just you and I… you act so sad."

I laughed, but immediately stopped myself once a spike of pain came from it.

"We spent like an accumulative five hours together and you've noticed this?" she blushed lightly and turned the other way.

"Fine! Forget I said anything!" that was not the reaction I wanted. I checked my phone for the time, 12:45…

_12:45… That makes no sense… Unless! _

"Kallen!" I said in a hurried and authoritative tone which startled her. "How long have I been out?"

"since the Britannians pulled out yesterday… why was there something impor-"

"SHIT! I got'a call Shirley!" I declared loudly as I rapidly scrolled through my phone.

"I already called the student Council and told them of our absences." I answered her while the phone was ringing.

"That doesn't matter I still need to call Shirley." On the fourth ring she picked up. She said nothing for a long time. "Shirley are you there?"

"Hey Lulu… Who are you with right now?" I didn't fail to notice the strangeness of the question.

"I'm with Kallen…" I answered slowly, not quite understanding why it mattered who I was with.

"So you been with her since yesterday?… I see, you never called you know."

"Wait, how did you know I've been with her since yesterday?" I asked worried she might know of my terrorist activities.

"So it is true, what were you doing that whole time?" she asked angrily. I paused longer than usual not knowing how to respond "I see how it is, you just wanted to ditch me to run off with Kallen! That's why you lied isn't it?" I honestly failed to understand.

"What? I don't get what you're trying to say!" She growled angrily.

"Just forget it Lelouch…" Then she hung up. I started my phone in disbelief.

_She hung up on me?… I need to go talk to her in person. _

I lurched to a standing position, or as close to one as I could acquire and attempted to walk towards the door.

"Hold on! You can be walking around this soon!" I looked at Kallen through my mask from my hunched over position.

"Why not? What are my injuries?" I asked hoping they were not that serious.

"You have to badly fractured ribs, not to mention minor intestinal damage as well as bruised a shoulder blade on your left side." She emphasized every injury as if it would stop me.

"I'll live…" She stood in front of me, refusing to move. "Get out of the way." I hissed. She didn't move still, she just stared back at me defiantly with the same determined expression. Ordinarily I might've admired her for it… However at this point in time it was nothing but inconvenient.

_I'm going to have to convince her legitimately, I don't want to keep using my Geass on my friends. _

I slowly and deliberately reached for my Glock and removed it from its holster. I leveled it at her heart which surprisingly garnered no reaction.

"You would shoot me…"she asked in disbelief. I considered this briefly.

"No… I wouldn't." I then brought the gun up to my own head fully prepared to shoot myself. "However, if you stand in the way you will prevent me from fixing the only relationship I have… I'd rather." I pulled the trigger slightly removing the live-action safety. Her eyes twitched and her resolve broke as she stood aside.

"Please let me help you, at least." I nodded and re-holstered the firearm.

"Catch me if I fall." I took a step forward the jarring impact it caused lanced pure agony throughout my being. I began to break into a cold sweat as I grit my teeth.

_I can't do this! _I thought disparagingly. _Would I really give up on Shirley that easily? _Fuck no. I opened the door. One step. Two steps. Three steps, four, another and another and another and again and again and again.

The monotonous cycle of agony became easier to bear as long as I only looked ahead.

"Which way is out?" I groaned towards Kallen. Kallen took the lead while still being sure she could see me at all points in time. Agony ensued I she led me through several hallways and finally out a door into a lobby. What was in the lobby surprised me. Many of the resistance members belonging to my group were present, but so were several people I did not know. Many were seated in the haphazardly placed chairs throughout the torn building. All looked up to see me… Many began cheering.

"Cypher Sama!" many cheered formally. I caught the sight of Oghi running up to both Kallen and I looking somewhat panicked.

"Kallen! The medic told us he shouldn't move for at least a few days!"

"Britannia will not stop simply because I'm injured… I must carry on regardless!" I said authoritatively as I pushed past him leaving the cheers of both civilians and rebels alike behind me. "Kallen, I need you to escort me back to my place of residence."

"Right!" she said almost enthusiastically as we headed out. "Ohgi would you mind driving us?" he nodded once.

"Y-yeah, sure no problem." Obviously he had no idea where we were going. As we were walking to the car Oghi began reciting the battle. "And it was exactly like you said it would be. The Britannians engaged just as if they wanted to test us not kill us, at least at first. That bought us loads of time!"

"I'm sure your leadership helped significantly." I complemented, trying my damnedest not to sound strained. Ohgi grabbed the back of his head and rubbed it nervously.

"No, I didn't do too much. The Britannians didn't even make it past the second line, they ended up pulling out once you dealt with Cornelia." I took that as confirmation that Cornelia had died, and had not simply been severely injured or something of the like.

"About the soldier that carried me back, I want to speak him eventually but we have more pressing matters first." I had been hobbling for a good while now, however we stopped once we reached a hollowed out building with an alleyway. "It just occurred to me, how'd you get your car here?"

"After the battle I left to go retrieve it so I could take Kallen back to school whenever she wanted." I nodded in understanding. "But she refused to leave until you woke up." He added on.

We entered the alleyway to find a burgundy sedan half covered with a blue tarp. Oghi unlocked it and removed the tarp allowing it to fall to the ground. As we took our seats I decided to sit in the back so I could have a larger range of comfort. However, apparently Kallen had the same idea for instead of sitting in the passenger side which was open she chose to seat next to me.

As I buckled my seat belt I debated whether or not I should allow Oghi to know my identity.

"Ohgi… If I remove my mask would you promise not to tell the others until I give the let go?" Ohgi looked at me from the rearview mirror, eyes wide.

"… Certainly, you can count on me." I breathed outwardly in relief as I removed the mask and placed it between both Kallen and I. I didn't bother watching his reaction through the rear view, instead I leaned my head against the glass weekly.

"So Cypher is really a schoolboy…" I fought off a sarcastic remark as he said this.

"Yes indeed, now onwards to Ashford."

"So you're one of Kallen's classmates?" he asked, clearly over curious.

"Yes, she and I are on the student Council together." I stated quickly while trying desperately not to fall unconscious. I squeezed my side with my uninjured hand redoubling the pain already present. It sucked… but it kept me awake. The car started and lurched forward slowly exiting the alleyway, the road conditions were far from ideal and consistently jostled the vehicle. For every single bump we hit a gut churning feeling came from my stomach, each time I hissed in response.

This caused Kallen to look over and ask if I wanted to stop the car. Every single time she asked I responded with.

"No, no thank you, I don't want to, not yet, God dammit I said no!" Were just some of the replies I answered with every time she asked. It annoyed me to the point where I refused to make a sound despite what pain I was feeling. Eventually and thankfully we made it to smoother roads and that was the end of the incessant questions from Kallen, Ohgi however, was determined asked me several questions regarding my schooling.

I answered all of his questions as honestly as possible but some of them I just didn't have answer for lack of memories. Meaningless conversations aside, the trip to Ashford was relatively short just a little under an hour. Throughout the trip I managed to calm myself to the point where I could think rationally. I came to the conclusion that Shirley believed I was cheating on her with Kallen.

_It makes sense, Kallen did call up and say that I was with her yesterday, and that directly contradicted my story. I'm going to have to find a way to convince her otherwise…_

Oghi parked several blocks away from Ashford, obviously trying to make sure that he was not seen dropping us off.

"I'm not sure if I can make that walk Ohgi… Just pull up to the front gate." He complied nervously as he slowly drove closer to the school. I looked down to my Glock and its holster, I have no way to hide it other than putting it in my waistband. However that would stop me from hiding my mask.

"Kallen… I need you to carry my mask discreetly." I said as I un-holstered my primary firearm and gingerly placed it between my belt. She complied and concealed it in a similar fashion. Ohgi finally stopped at school, opening the door and using it as support I forced my way out of the backseat. Before I left I made sure to thank Ohgi, to which he replied.

"Yeah no problem, I just never thought I'd be taking my leader to school. Heh…" I laughed lightly, at least someone was in a good mood. He drove away shortly afterwards.

"Kallen, please take my mask to my room." I asked as I fumbled for my phone, I saw no confirmation for I was too obsessed with scrolling down to Shirley's number. It rang several times but no one picked up.

I called again, no answer.

"Son of a bitch…" I called Milly instead, knowing that she would take the situation seriously and do the right thing… Whatever that was.

She picked up on the third ring.

"Yes Lelouch, I know where Shirley is." I was a little surprised at her preemptive answer.

"Then tell me." I replied with simply.

"Did you really cheat on her?" she asked sounding neutral.

"No God dammit I didn't!" I raised my voice to the phone, I immediately wished I hadn't for another spike of pain came from my ribs.

"Than what were you doing, I know you lied to her about being called away for work!" I immediately became defensive.

"That's none of your business just tell me where she is!"

"Not until you tell me where you were!" I was starting to get really pissed off now.

_Dammit this is getting me nowhere! Plan b…_

"This is further notice, tell me where Shirley is." I really wondered whether or not I could trigger my latent Geass command through the phone.

"{She is in her dorm, she's locked herself in there all day.}" Apparently I could.

"Fucking thank you, continue acting normal until further notice." I immediately hung up. And began hobbling towards Shirley's dorm. To my right I could see Kallen running back up to me. It was obvious by the speed of which she accomplished her task that she had run both to and fro.

"Thank you Kallen… You can head home now I'll be all right."

"No! I'm not leaving you in your condition!" That was starting to get old. But I decided I did not want to use my Geass with her anymore.

"Then at least wait for me in my room! I'll come back there soon enough, I just don't want you hanging around when I try to convince my girlfriend that I wasn't cheating on her." All of her argument ceased and I took that as a cue to walk away… Scratch that, hobble away.

The walk to her room was painful, along the way I drew the curious gazes of many students. All of whom I ignored. Once I made it to her door I noticed five students hanging around the door not 15 feet away.

"Hey you guys!" I yelled as loud as I dared, they all looked up shortly after. "{Leave!}" And so I commanded so they obeyed. Facing the door finally I knocked. After several knocks there was no answer.

I knocked harder, still no reply. Summoning my anger I pounded on the door, each strike jostling my injuries further. I knew I was bleeding badly, but I hoped the bandages would hold it for time it being.

I was honestly getting furious at this point, I was feeling pain yes… Loads of it but a new pain suddenly sparked within me. My left eye suddenly burned as if set ablaze. It passed within a few seconds so I just passed it off as a part of my already existent wounds.

"{Dammit Shirley! Open the door!}" As if on cue she opened it just before I began 'knocking' once more.

Her face and eyes were red, she clearly had been crying… This was unacceptable.

"{We need to talk.}" I said as I pushed her into her room and closed the door behind me. She stood before a full body mirror that was between the two beds. She crossed her arms and faced me directly.

"Care to explain what's going on, or why you lied to me yesterday?" she said in a surprisingly level tone. I looked away ashamedly.

"{I can't tell you.}" I could feel the tension in the air.

"Why not! Unless you're doing something you shouldn't have been then there's no reason you can't tell me!"

"{I was… But I can't tell you what.}" I said sadly, still glaring at the ground.

"Then you can forget about it… Forget about us!" I looked up to her and yelled.

"{You expect me to just forget about our relationship}" Something was wrong, my facilities were shutting down. It wasn't physical, it was purely mental. My eyes flicked to the mirror behind her.

_My Geass is on! What the hell? I didn't turn it on! What's happening? No, stop! I don't want to forget! _

It was useless, thoughts, memories, images… These were all displayed to me one final time before they dissolved away… one by one. I tried to fight it, I really did but I was no match for my own power.

The last image I saw was one of Shirley sitting at the student Council table, peacefully eating a salad and smiling towards me. And then… Wait what was I talking about?

It must not have been important if I forgot about it that easily, moving on.

I had more pressing matters, like what I was going to do to get my allies sufficient supplies and possibly a base of operations. Not to mention for some unknown reason I was in Shirley's room…

_Weird… I should probably go get my injuries treated more thoroughly, no idea why I'm here. _

I watched as Shirley stood there clearly in distress about something; honestly I couldn't have cared less. I simply walked out the door as best my injuries would allow. I angled myself back to my dorm where Kallen was waiting.

_Perhaps she will be willing to help me with my injuries? _I was almost sure of it.

And so I moved on…

**To be continued…**


	21. Geass: Confident

Audacity chapter 21.

*You might want to consider reading my responses to the questions asked in the review section; primarily because it has relevant information pertaining to this story… Typically. Also I'm thinking about making the length of this chapter my standard from now on, despite the fact that it takes longer to produce. If you have thoughts comments and/or concerns about that drop me a line, I honestly need a third-party consideration on this.*

**Response to review by: XT3.** I agree, I have a bit of a belief that the memories make your personality and help define who you are, and by removing them you're essentially emptying yourself. For better or for worse.

**Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin.** Dude, I got so tired of typing your pen name that I ended up formatting it into Dragon's vocabulary so I wouldn't have to type it every time I responded to your reviews. (This is a good thing I assure you.)

That aside, if you notice Shirley's room has a full body mirror, to this point you can imagine how you would accidentally Geass multiple persons, himself included, especially considering the fact that he's over used his Geass as it stands and is gone into stage II evolution and won't turn off. Then again if you'll read this chapter you get a slightly better explanation.

**Response to review by: Anon… Also known as 'He who is very anonymous' lol.** Sometimes the first person perspective feels like it's going in circles, this is due to the fact that people constantly have that feeling themselves. If this is story was from the third person perspective ( over the shoulder) a lot more would've happened in a shorter span of time (or in this case text) however it would've been nowhere near as detailed when it comes to the matter of an individual's thoughts and feelings. So as far as plot development for the previous chapter… It was less so than I would've liked.

Aside from that, I have special plans for Shirley; to answer questions preemptively no I do not **plan** on pairing her with someone else. Other than that I can say very little.

"{For the billionth time Kallen, I'm fine I don't need anything you can go home now.}" I said this in exasperation as I leaned my head back into the pillows of the bed I'd been forced into by Kallen. If it would have been up to me I probably would have been doing basic research on the computer or something that I considered to be lightweight… However the redhead had significantly different ideas.

"I get that you're fine right now, but what if you need something?" I rolled my eyes despite the fact she couldn't see it.

"{Then I'll get up and get it. Obviously.}" Kallen adjusted herself on the desks chair.

"The more you move around the longer this is going to take to heal up, and we need you on your feet as soon as possible." I knew it wasn't going to win any argument with her, assuming it involved my immediate health. I didn't really put up a fight, sure I complained a lot however this was only because it distracted me from the feeling of emptiness I'd recently acquired.

_Why do I feel like I just lost something important… Logically speaking everything is going great aside from the bullet wounds. _

"{Just how long did the medic say I had until I'm back at 100%?}" although I had a fairly good idea of how long it should take, I figured it would be a better idea for me to get multiple opinions.

"Assuming you don't screw something up, he said you should be able to be back on your feet in about two weeks. But he did say you will probably experience pain and discomfort for well over a month." She paused and fiddled with her phone briefly. "Next time you decide to shoot through yourself try not to use a 9 mm because-" I cut her off.

"{They tend to hit ribs and bounce all over the place, yes yes I know. How many times do I have to tell you that it was a snap decision and I panicked.}" She let it drop that.

I sat there doing nothing for the better part of an hour until I became restless once more. Ever since Kallen came back with a painkiller, Vicodin I determined, I felt significantly more mobile. I knew this was just a feeling and that I shouldn't abuse it, however I couldn't stop myself from feeling the need to do **something**.

Aside from the fact that I was slowly losing my mind due to boredom, there was an issue I couldn't ignore and that I wanted keep Kallen away from. My Geass, more specifically my inability to turn my Geass off. I noticed it once I went into the bathroom and struggled into a shower. I knew for a fact of I wasn't careful, Kallen might see the birdlike symbol radiating from my left eye

_But if I get anywhere near someone I haven't already used my Geass on it could spell trouble, I need to speak to CC as soon as possible._

I had already asked Kallen to go and check with Sayoko and find out whether or not the other 'tenant' to my rather exclusive dorm was in. As it turned out she was not, apparently she had left for parts unknown had not announced her return time… Or the fact that she was going anywhere to begin with.

This left me with very few options… However, one of my few remaining options was rather intriguing.

_I guess all I can do now is fuck with Kallen. _

"{Kallen?}" She looked up at me from her phone obviously prepared for another one of my arguments. "{Do you carry a gun?}" I asked this, genuinely interested. It appeared as if she found the question rather odd for she furled her eyebrows together slightly in response.

"No. I do have one though." I was a little bit surprised at her answer, considering she had been a terrorist.

"{Why would you own one but not carry it? Especially considering your situation.}"

"I just don't like the added weight. Besides, whenever I'm fighting I keep it with me although I never need it due to the fact I'm always in a knightmare." Her answer made sense, but I wasn't pleased with it.

"{You need to start carrying it, unless of course it's too large to keep concealed. What model and caliber is it?}" she looked upwards, pondering the question briefly.

"I know it's a 9 mm, but I don't know the model." Now that answer truly upset me.

"{That is absolutely unacceptable; you should always be explicitly familiar with your weapons.}" I stated.

"Coming from the guy who doesn't know how to pilot a knightmare." She had a point there.

"{Speaking of which, how am I going to learn? We don't have enough knightmares on hand to train with, not without fear of damaging them at least.}"

"I suppose we could always use a simulator." I hadn't considered that, then again I didn't know anything about said simulators either. Another annoying gap in my knowledge and memories.

"{Where could we get our hands on one?}" Kallen spun in the revolving chair once before replying.

"I know you can find them at most community centers; however I don't know the level of realism they provide, not to mention they wouldn't let us buy it from them. It's obvious the Britannian military would have them, but it would be almost impossible to get to them. I also doubt we could buy them from a third-party without raising suspicions."

"{I agree, it seems nomatter which way we look at it getting our hands on one will be tricky."

I decided it was time to get off this topic and begin my pestering questions once more.

"{What's your favorite color?}" once again Kallen expressed her confusion due to the strangeness of the question.

"Red I guess."

"{How old are you?}"

"17." She answered, obviously expecting me to build up to something as was my usual method.

"{What's your favorite subject?}"

"Physics, or maybe literature…" I continued questioning, however decided to begin steering the questions towards more personal matters.

"{Ever dream of getting married?}" she almost blanched at this.

"N-no, not really. Why are you asking me all this?" I ignored her question and continued my own.

"{Ever kissed a guy?}" she began to panic.

"T-that's not of your business!" I smiled; teasing her was just so much fun.

"{What's your bra size?}" I asked deciding to be more audacious. This elicited a heavy blush from the redhead. She covered her chest with her arms and turned away.

"Dammit, quit asking me things!"

"{Is that how you talk to the leader of your organization?}" I asked sarcastically.

"You're not Cypher 01 right now… You just Lelouch… and the pain in the ass." I nodded in agreement.

"{And this pain in the ass does not need to be puppy guarded, I'm not in any danger here. This means you should go home and get some rest.}"

"And what if something happens?" I leveled my gaze with her despite my glowing eye.

"{Then I'll call you, besides I have people here capable of taking care of me.}"

And as if I had just asked her to enter, CC walked in like she owned the place.

"{Speak of the devil.}" I recited the old saying. "{Kallen this is CC… She is my… Accomplice.}" I settled for the final word.

"Hello." Kallen said meekly. She never let her eyes off CC, almost as if she was scrutinizing her.

"{I'm assuming you know what my most recent problem is?}" I asked CC vaguely.

"Yes, it happened much sooner than I expected… I've already developed a solution for it." Kallen looked at me expectantly.

"What are you guys talking about?" that was not a question I was looking forward to answering.

"{Kallen, you need to go home now.}" I said this, allowing my voice fill with authority. She was about to protest but I cut her off. "{There's sensitive information I need to discuss with CC, it's not that I don't trust you… It's just that there are some things that are not ready to find out about yet. I need you to trust me on this one.}" I added that last part in hopes that she would drop her arguments.

"Fine, but if I catch wind of you moving around it'll be your ass!" she said threateningly. "I guess I'll be back tomorrow…" She said as she left. CC took up her position in the chair as the door closed.

"You let all your subordinates talk to you like that?" she asked teasingly. I sighed lightly.

"{She's different than the others, I feel like I can trust her more. And from that, a bit of informality has developed between us… Not that I don't enjoy it, I hope to have that with all my allies eventually.}"

CC reached into the Ashford school uniform she had on in place of her usual straitjacket. Fumbling around briefly she tossed a rectangular box at me. Reaching out to intercept it a twinge of pain caught me. Regardless I intercepted it and began to inspect the package.

The box was light purple and made of plastic, had a single clasp at the front end of it. I clicked the clasp open. Inside was an individual contact lens the same color as my eyes.

"Use that to block your Geass, but just remember if it gets any stronger you will need more than that." I nodded appreciating the foresight. CC spun on the chair playfully.

"{I'm surprised you managed to get this so quickly}" I stated trying not to sound suspicious. Despite this she looked at me with an annoyed expression.

_Note to self, replace revolving chair with uncomfortable, metal foldout chair. _I thought this offhandedly.

"Would you have preferred I didn't help at all?" she asked in a nonthreatening manner.

"{No I suppose not… Hey wait a minute! Do you still have my Highpoint?" she smiled coyly and reached into her chest pocket.

"You mean this?" she asked elongating her syllables. I grit my teeth and attempted to sit up and retrieve my property.

"{Gah! Fuck!}" I immediately wished I hadn't, just as Kallen had stated, I was in no condition to be moving around… In fact it completely escaped me as to why I came here after waking up in Saitama… Better yet, it confused me as to why I felt such a sense of urgency while returning. This triggered the feeling of emptiness once more, ignoring it I begin thinking about my future plans.

_If are going to keep on working together were going to need a name… I want it to be awesome as hell. But what could I use? I suppose I should also make it symbolic… should it have anything to do with my alias? _

All these thoughts and more zipped through me in a matter of seconds. I briefly considered consulting CC. Realizing what I had just considered I shot that idea down immediately afterwards.

My thoughts eventually turned to a base of operations for my allies.

_It would be best if we could have it underground, at least partially… It's also going to need another use to cover up the level of activity were going to have around it. I have to do some research into buildings being constructed and whatnot, I'm sure with my Geass I can convince a few people to tweak their designs._

Throwing the blankets off myself I gently lifted my legs over the edge of the bed and stood. Grunting heavily in pain I hauled myself upwards.

"What's your problem?" CC asked. I'd entirely forgotten that she had no idea about my injuries.

"{Got shot twice…}" I waited for the inevitable backlash; after all I had specifically told her I wouldn't get into any dangerous situations any time soon.

"Why did you let them shoot you more than once?" her question stunned me as I leaned onto the frame of the bed for support.

"{Because I did it to myself…}" She popped a quizzical look. I explained the situation in detail. Once she fully understood the situation she began her questions anew.

"Why didn't you just reach around your shoulder or som-" I cut her off angrily.

"{It was a snap decision dammit. I did the first thing that came to mind that I thought would work.}" Still aggravated I shifted the subject. "{So how long until my Geass goes back to normal?}" she looked up at me with what I perceived to be a nostalgic expression.

"From what I've seen in other people, it can't, it can only get worse. I'm not saying it's not a possibility… But that would imply your Geass got weaker and stepped down a level."

_So the stronger my Geass becomes harder it will be to control… Is it possible I can gain other abilities when it evolves? _I voiced my last thought to which CC replied.

"Once again as far as I'm concerned that won't happen."

_Damn, I guess this is as good as it gets. Oh well it's more than I need. I wonder if she has ever given Geass to oth- _my phone vibrating interrupted my thoughts, reaching over to its position on my nightstand I picked it up and answered.

"{Hello?}" I asked trying not to sound strained.

"Lelouch! What did you do to Shirley? She won't even talk about you guys." I honestly didn't know how to respond to that.

"{What….?}" Was the simple question I decided to reply with.

"Don't give me that, she won't even tell me if you guys are still dating or not." My eyes widened as I began to put bits and pieces together.

"{I'm sorry did you say I was **dating** Shirley?}" I questioned in a serious tone.

"Oh, not you too… So you guys are gonna play the 'ignore each other' game? I see, I guess some peoples coping methods are just different than others. So did you just like, decide never to talk about it again?"

This was a serious mind fuck moment for me as a realized one of two things happened.

Either Gray Jack had extracted some of my memories again… or I had Geassed myself to forget a relationship with Shirley.

Going for broke I hung up on Milly and removed the phone's battery… the next step would require a bit of finesse if I wanted straight answers.

"{GRAY JACK! We need to talk!}" I yelled causing CC to look at me as if I've just lost my mind. A large flash of light followed by the disturbing smell of burnt meat filled the room. Once my vision cleared the source of my amnesia became visible in full.

CC screamed and fell out of the chair, landing on her ass indignantly. Her eyes widening all but bugging out of her head as she pointed at Jack and sputtered out a few panicked words.

"W-w-what the hell is t-that!" I couldn't help but break a sadistic grin as the usually stoic immortal lost her composure and began panicking like a little schoolgirl.

"{CC, meet Gray Jack. Gray Jack… Well fuck it, I'm sure you've been in her head often enough to know who she is.}" Gray Jack leaned against the wall and looked at me.

"Actually, every time I try to look at her thoughts are always obscure and blurred… As if she was dead, but alive at the same time… Frozen would be the best equivalent for her state of mind." I nodded and looked back at CC, she had pushed herself against the wall in a defensive posture and was clearly reaching for her firearm… Scratch that, **my **firearm. Doing my best to keep laughter out of my voice I explained some of the situation.

"{This ugly thingamajig you see here has made off with a good portion of my memories and what have you. Apparently so he can keep himself entertained… It would seem he's strange like that, regardless I find him a valuable asset towards our cause… If the price is right.}"

"A nice way to put it." Jack said sarcastically. I waved his snide remarks aside and got to the meat of the matter.

"{You can pester him later, if he lets you. But right now I need to know, Jack, did you remove more of my memories?}" Jack snorted and looked toward CC.

"Nope, sorry that was your dumbass fault. By the way I know you can't remember it but that was quite an epic fail, I wish I had my camera." Not quite knowing whether or not he was serious I nodded and accepted the information. If he was lying to me I'd have no way of telling so I would have to assume that he was telling the truth simply because he gained nothing by lying to me… For now.

"{Did I do it on purpose?}" I continued my questions.

"What part of an 'epic fail' means it was deliberate?" he sighed outwards. "But in all seriousness no you did not, there was a mirror when you were speaking to your play thing and you caught both yourself and her in a Geass command." He locked eyes with CC.

"Speaking of Geass, later on I would like to go over the specifics of this… I'd like to call it a weapon, but it's more of a pain in the ass superpower. But we will talk about it later; of course you can name your price." CC stood shakily and attempted to regain some of her composure, it was obvious her mind was still in shambles but she did a good job of hiding it.

Getting back on topic I questioned further.

"{Can you undo it for me}?" Gray Jack turned his view back to me and crossed his arms. Which was impressive considering their length.

"Not without risking some serious brain damage, the only reason I was able to do it so easily last time was because I caught it while it was in the process of re-aligning your mind. If I tried an actual rewire from scratch I could seriously fuck you up by accident… Or on purpose."

I grit my teeth and considered my options.

_Is it worth it? Would I risk my mind as a whole to regain a couple weeks' worth of memories? If not less? Even if I did succeed I would still have to do it to Shirley if I want to return to the original status quo… It's an unnecessary risk, this relationship is not, or at least is no longer crucial to my being… I don't need it to carry on._

"A wise decision, to be honest with you I was waiting for you to fuck it up and get her killed. But it looks like you've avoided that outcome, albeit inelegantly." I had made my decision, and I was going to stick by it regardless of whether or not it bit me in the ass.

A stray thought occurred to me as I smiled playfully.

"{Hey Jack, you wouldn't happen to be able to build me a secret base in a space between dimensions or something like that would you?}" I asked genuinely interested in the answer. Gray Jack chuckled a deep guttural sound.

"You couldn't afford it!" I knew he meant that I had not enough to offer; material funding was easy enough to acquire, especially with my Geass. I began to notice my side had begun to ache from standing upright for a prolonged period of time, I had the information I wanted, it was time to move on.

I snapped open the case once more and struggled to place a contact on my left eye. After several tries I succeeded.

_That's going to take some getting used to… _I thought, honestly I didn't like how impractical the whole thing was.

"Well if you'll excuse me, I need to go find a base of operations for my allies and I. If you have any suggestions for locations give me a shout." It would have been interesting to stay and watch the exchange between the two the immortals… If you could even call one of them that, but I had more pressing matters at hand. Hobbling towards the door I exited my room.

I had to give it to Kallen, the Vicodin dulled the pain considerably especially while I wasn't aggravating my wounds bymoving around. Once I sat down I looked to be completely uninjured… Until I had to move. I suppose it was slightly foolish to put up my invincible bravado and stay active despite needing to heal, but what could I say I was a guy, more importantly a guy who liked to be seen as badass.

However, the soft smile I gave Nunnally as I happened across her in the hallway made me feel far from it.

"Hey Nunnally." I greeted trying to stand up as straight as possible. "What are you up to?"

"I just got through talking with Suzaku, I'm so happy that he's here." I nodded in agreement. "He brought a cat with him and they were going to have a party for it, but they ended up canceling it so they could move up their trip to Lake Kawaguchi on account of the fact Shirley will be moving back to the homeland soon."

This information caused me to blink, the raw knowledge came back to me, the information itself at least. I couldn't remember who told me beforehand or even when.

_It must've been Shirley, which was probably before I mind fucked myself. _Ignoring my disturbing thoughts I continued the Smalltalk.

"Really? How long are they going to stay?" I had no idea where this 'Lake Kawaguchi' was but if the entire student Council was for some reason required to go I would have to weasel my way out of it for obvious reasons.

"Just a few days, they need to get back soon for school." I nodded in understanding.

"I need to go look up some stuff on the computer so I'll talk to you later at dinner okay?"

"All right, umm… Are you feeling all right brother? You look a little pale."

_No I'm perfectly fine I just have serious internal damage as well as two cracked ribs. _I wanted to say this, but I consider that too harsh for my sister.

"No I'm fine, just a little tired." Nunnally to the answer with little suspicion.

"Okay, just don't work yourself too hard."

"Naturally, I work hard at avoiding hard work." I said playfully as I walked away while trying to maintain a straight posture.

As it turns out standing perfectly straight was almost beyond my ability for it cast several bouts of pain in both of the damaged ribs. Clenching my fists and gritting my teeth I maintained the posture until I was out of Nunnally's sight. Once I turned the corner I wanted to cry from the simple agonizing strain of ignoring my bodies protests. Knowing that wasn't an option I moved on to the student Council room.

_I really hope nobody is in here. _I thought dully as I made it to the door and entered. I was disappointed once I saw Milly, but I perked right back up as I noticed no one else was there. Greeting her with a wave I set gently on the chair in front of the computer and turned the monitor on.

"Lelouch we really need to talk about you and-" I cut her off with a command.

"This is further notice, leave this room and don't come back for the rest of the day… And if you have anything scheduled that requires use of this room, cancel it. Once you have done all this continue acting as your normal self." I turned to the monitor as she set about leaving.

It didn't take long for me to access the information I needed.

The Britannians had yet to say anything about the Saitama engagement, to be expected but I wondered how they would handle the death of their newest Viceroy especially considering she had just arrived had spent less than a week in office.

_I'm sure the sub Viceroy will take up the position and I'll be in the same mess as I was before I pulled the trigger. I suppose this time I should Geass the Viceroy… Then again that might arouse suspicion from the rest of the command structure, I guess I'll just have to use and abuse it in a nondescript manner._

But I would need to find out who I needed to Geass before I could set about that task and unless I wanted to do extensive recon; which I was physically incapable of, I'll have to wait into the official announcement.

I decided to hunt for a suitable location for my group to take refuge in. I begin the search with buildings that were still in construction, information on such was scarce, most of the sites I noticed weren't usable due to the fact that said building was either highly anticipated or would be built in a high-traffic area. I then turned my search to older buildings, ones that were going to be demolished or simply closed and ignored.

Because of the settlements relatively new construction these were far and few in between, at least within the center of theTokyo settlement. Throughout my searching I made sure to view via satellite imaging the warehouses that we were currently using. The area appeared nondescript enough, but I knew that wouldn't last if we used it too much for too longer.

_Uhhhh… This is hopeless. _I thought grimly. _But this needs to be done sooner rather than later. _

I compartmentalized my search by sectioning out the settlement into the most desirable areas. Those most desirable being closer to the edge of the water. According to these images, which I assumed were somewhat recent implied that the northeastern edge of the settlement along the coastline had many of the original buildings that were there before the Britannians began construction.

One building in particular caught my eye due to the fact that it was ostracized at least 100 yards in every direction from all other structures. Upon further investigation I discovered it used to be a fuel depot. Considering the fact that Sakuradite was a far more widely accepted power source it didn't surprise me that this facility had been shut down for many years.

There was a stray article attached to the name of the old building. The article detailed as to how the facility stored fuel above ground for easy access and transportation, however what really piqued my interest was the fact that they had three levels of refinery that of which included two levels underground.

I made damn sure to double check the square footage of the facility, it was significantly more than what I needed now.

_Perfect, it will allow for growth… Assuming I can get my hands on it._ And that was the ultimate kicker, the man who had previously owned it was Japanese… Therefore he no longer owned it. But I knew for a fact that no one in their right mind would purchase the actual structure due to the fact it was essentially useless.

This led me to determine that either the building was either up for sale, or someone owned the land that the building was on but didn't have the rights to the building.

It took very little searching to find the name the man who owned the land. David Spacer was the man's name, I made sure to enter what contact information he had left onto my phone for future use I considered calling right there and then for a basic sit rep of the availability, however after looking at the clock on my phone I quickly decided otherwise.

It was 6:58

About the time Sayoko usually made dinner. Double checking sources I had already used I made sure that there were no other potential hideouts that I had missed. After being somewhat satisfied with the results I closed the computer and shuffled towards the kitchen.

As I had suspected dinner was just about ready, I sat down with Nunnally and ate with her shortly after. It was uneventful nothing of great importance was said, although much conversation was exchanged. It was peaceful, and I wouldn't of had it any other way. Nunnally had really taken to her ability to see again, but strangely enough she did not discard any of her braille books or other such reading material.

"After reading like that for such a long time I find it hard to learn how to read with my eyes." She explained. It made perfect sense; I could only imagine how difficult it might be to have to memorize the shapes of all the letters and symbols in order to associate them with the sounds they made.

The rest of dinner went on a similar fashion until it came to an end. To that point I insisted upon tucking Nunnally into bed before leaving, it hurt like hell to bend over and hug her before I left… But it was worth it.

Entering my room without caution I noticed both CC and gray Jack had left, which was a good thing because I was very tired and was looking forward to getting as much sleep as possible.

_The more time I spend asleep the more time my body has to heal uninterrupted. _This was my final thoughts as I let the oppression of sleep take me.

**The next day: 10 o'clock.**

I woke up and nobody was around, I noticed that the painkillers had worn off so I made sure to take another dose. Changing clothes proved to be interesting… And by interesting I mean agonizing due to the fact that the painkillers had yet to take effect while I was exchanging clothing. Slow acting medicine aside I had no plans for the day, other than sit there and do nothing. And that's exactly what I ended up doing for almost 2 hours until Kallen walked in during the lunch break.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I asked calmly.

"I figured you would be asleep." She countered with clearly not wanting to be on the receiving end of my teasing today.

"So what's new?" I asked genuinely. Kallen shrugged in response.

"Nothing really, Tamaki left one of the knightmares on and it drained the energy filler, but other than that nothing has happened." I face palmed, I knew Tamaki was an idiot but I didn't think he'd end up doing something like that.

"Someone needs to beat some common sense into that guy." Kallen rolled her eyes and nodded.

"So what was it you needed to talk about with that CC girl yesterday? I know you made it clear you didn't want tell me, but we are allies… If it's a secret you don't need to hold back, you've already proven you're in this to win it." I sighed audibly.

_I suppose I'll need to tell at least some of them about my Geass or it might turn into a problem later on… It's not like I can keep it a secret forever, eventually someone's going to notice and say "Hey, why are all those guys doing that weird shit for no good reason?" and I would be found out… To a certain extent._

I made my decision, I was going to give up my secret amongst my allies, I might as well start with Kallen.

"I have a feeling you'll hate me for it." I stated grimly. Her eyebrows knit together as she sat down on the chair in the same fashion that she had yesterday.

_Why does everyone sit there, there's a __**perfectly **__good couch __**right**__ over there! _I couldn't help but think this in disbelief. But it was rather relevant at that exact point time.

"unless you're planning to sell us out, I'm pretty sure any secret you have can be tolerated if not embraced." I grit my teeth slightly as I figured out how to word my next sentence, I would need to do so carefully.

"What if I told you, that I had the ability to make anyone do anything under certain circumstances?" She thought about it for a moment then replied sarcastically.

"Anyone can make someone do something under the right circumstances." I rolled my eyes.

"Not what I mean, this will be hard to believe but I will prove it to you. I have a power that can manipulate someone's will and force them to do anything I want… They will have no recollection of the events shortly before and shortly after, nor will they remember preforming the action unless I specifically tell them to." Kallen crossed her arms and looked directly at me.

"I find this a bit hard to believe." She stated plainly. I quickly came up with a method of proving my Geass. Reaching for my phone I opened it and searched for the camera function, clicking on the record button I turned the phone to my own face and said.

"I am going to perform a test now, Kallen as you can see you were in the room when I said this." I turned the camera over to where she was sitting. "Kallen wave at me." I ordered. She waved at me stoically clearly humoring me and believing I was messing with her. I turned the phone back around to my face.

"Now I will demonstrate my power by forcing you to forget the time that has elapsed during this recording." I looked directly at Kallen put the camera on her. "This is further notice, you are to forget me ever making this recording, you are however to remember me explaining to you the basis of my power. Continue acting as your normal self until further notice." I finished the command and she resumed her normal mannerisms.

"Well, aren't you going to show me your supposed 'power'?" she teased. I tossed my phone to her from my seated position.

"Click play, I've made you forget the recording using my power. Hopefully this will be enough to prove to you the effects of my ability… However I want you to know that under no circumstances have I ever used it to change your opinion of me, or to force you to join me or anything like that. All of your decisions have been your own." Kallen looked at me with a bit of fear, clearly she was starting to think my behavior strange.

This became doubly present as she watched the video. Her expression changed from one of skepticism to disbelief, and shortly afterwards fear and uncertainty. Out of slight worry that she might attack me or something of the like I couldn't help but reach towards the model 36 on the small of my back. Once a video had finished playing I made sure to confirm with her.

"So now do you believe me?" her eyes remained glued to the phone her expression same as when she finished.

"This… This is unreal. How do I know you're not lying to me about my decisions being my own." I wanted to face palm, the answer should've been obvious.

"If I really didn't want you to discover my power my 'Geass' I would've used it to prevent you from finding out… But that's not what I want, I want you to accept and acknowledge it. To be able to trust me enough to the point where you can still work with me without fear of me using it on you unjustly." She kept quiet for a at least a full minute, clearly waging a mental battle with both sides of her mind. Eventually she came forth with a question.

"What do you mean unjustly?" I had already thought about the numerous applications my Geass could have without controlling someone for my benefit.

"Take my sister Nunnally for example, she was blind. Luckily the condition was not because of a physical damage or complication… It was all mental, psychological if you will. Because of that I was able to use my Geass and reverse the psychological damage, thereby allowing her to see once more." A look of understanding smoothed Kallen's face, this gave me the courage to continue my explanation further.

"And because of that, I Ken use my Geass to bring back or to remove memories at a person's discretion...or my own. I could even make them infinitely patient or strong-willed; it's also possible I can make someone smarter… However I'm not so sure about that one, there are obvious limitations to the theory."

"Is that how you managed to get kururugi away from all the Britannians without firing a shot?" I shook my head.

"No, although I was fully prepared to use it, as well as my firearms. It turned out that my ordinary preparations were all that was necessary. This is also how I managed to sneak in to the G1 mobile bases both times." She said nothing for a while longer; looking down on the floor it was obvious she was thinking deeply.

"Why bother telling me this? With this power you could keep it secret essentially forever." She was right about that… For the most part at least.

"True, but I can't help but feel like it's a burden at times, I always feel better when I have a confident to talk about things with." She seemed surprised at my answer.

"How do I know you won't use it on me for… For ummm…"

"For sex?" I finished her sentence for her.

"Umm, yeah… That." She shook the blush from her face. "that still doesn't mean I'm not under its effects right now being forced to believe what you want me to!" she appeared determined to explore every facet.

"That's like asking if we actually exist, that life might be just one giant dream or the equivalent thereof and that we are simply figments of some all-powerful being's imagination. Think about it, although I could do that to everyone I meet it would just be a lie… I wouldn't be living, I'd be playing house with a whole bunch of life-size dolls." I thought about my words for a moment realizing that they didn't make a whole lot of sense.

"What I'm trying to say is, I need **real **human interaction. Otherwise I'd become empty and lose my mind slowly, if I already haven't. I have no way of confirming for you that you're not currently under my Geass and being forced to believe me… All I can do is ask for your trust, and hope that I can earn it as well." She still seemed heavily disturbed with these revelations.

"Let me tell you my biggest secret, before Shinjuku… When you were in the truck transporting what you thought was the poison gas I was in it as well." This elicited a look of disbelief from Kallen. "But inside that capsule was not poison gas… Instead it was a human experiment, CC to be exact. She gave me this power." I let my words sink in for a moment before continuing. There came the part where I was forced to lie. "Shortly afterwards I accidentally erased most of my memories with my power, and because I can only use my power once on any person I couldn't return them…"

Kallen's eyes brightened briefly.

"does that mean that I'm immune to future uses?" I looked away slightly ashamed but mostly embarrassed.

"Ahh… No, about that. When I met you I carelessly cast the command 'obey me' on you and shortly afterwards ordered you to act as your ordinary self. Which by the way you still are." at first a look of absolute terror and betrayal was displayed on her features, however shortly afterwards the expression reversed itself.

"Wait, if you use that command to order me to never follow your commands again that would make me essentially immune… Despite the fact I would be carrying out your command at all times." I thought about it briefly and decided to point out the multiple holes in that inventive yet half-baked theory.

"True, but if I gave that exact command you would never follow my orders ever again, which as you can imagine would prove to be a problem if we are going to work together. So I'm going to have to word it differently at least." I thought about it briefly and decided upon a pathway.

"Make sure to record it for your own proof." I had it on motioning towards my phone which she still held. She pressed buttons on the phone for a moment or two and signal that she was ready.

"It's recording." I quickly recited my thoughts once more being sure that there was nothing I was missing. Sure of myself I began what I hoped would be the final command.

"This is further notice, under no circumstances are you to accept a command from me unless you want to, or unless you feel duty compels you to." I finished my command, holding my breath anxiously I looked up at Kallen for a sign. Shortly after her features returned to normal. Blinking a few times she asked.

"Did you do it?"

"Check the recording." _so far so good…_ she viewed the recording once more.

"What was with that last part? The 'unless duty compels you' thing."

"That way in case you don't want to accept the command you will still be able to, assuming you recognize the fact that it needs to be done for whatever reason." She nodded meekly in agreement.

"Final test… This is further notice. Throw my phone at me." I put my arms in front of my face protectively… After I realized there was nothing flying in the air towards me I looked back at Kallen who had a look that said 'really?'.

"That's how you planned to test it? What if it would have worked?" I looked left and right and answered seriously.

"Then I would probably would've got the phone chucked at me." I couldn't help but break a smile. "Now you more confident around me?" she looked at me seriously.

"I suppose… Well… I have to say yeah. There is no reason you have gone through all of this is if it weren't to tell the truth, and even if I wouldn't have taken it in a positive way you could've just erased my memory of the event." I felt better at her declaration.

"It's nice to have that weight off my shoulders, I at least feel like I did the right thing… And that's what I'm going for recently."

"Who else have you used your Geass power on?" she asked genuinely interested. I looked up towards the ceiling and thought about it for a moment.

"A whole bunch of random soldiers, a menagerie of students on this campus… the students were merely to test the specifications of its ability, Milly so I can avoid work and whatnot, uhhhh… I already told you about Nunnally. I also used on Shirley I believe, I ended the relationship like that from what I can tell… But then again I can't remember entirely, due to my own accidental amnesia."

She looked somewhat apologetic, either she didn't want to pry, or she felt sorry for me, I couldn't quite tell.

Kallen looked at her phone briefly as it began to vibrate, she didn't answer it which implied it was a text. Should look slightly perplexed what she read.

"Ohgi just texted me and told me to look at the news… I have no idea why though." I thought about this for a moment and determined two things.

"Well if it's Ohgi, then is either important or directly relevant to us."

"If not both." She added on.

"There's a TV in the lobby we can have a look at." I said as I moved to get out of bed. Kallen looked at me disapprovingly but said nothing for once. Putting on my shoes with a grimace I moved to the door and motioned for her to exit.

"After you." I said politely. We both made our way to the lobby and turned on the television. It took a moment to change the channel to the news but once we did it became abundantly clear what was wrong.

My eyes widened in pure shock, in pure terror, in outrage, of the events taking place on screen. The screen depicted a hostage situation, and impressive looking hotel surrounded by water was garrisoned by what was described as the remnants of the Japanese army. They declared themselves to be the JLF… the Japan liberation front.

In front of the only exit above ground where dozens of knightmares, infantry, sandbags, defensive positions made of solid steel. Britannia was clearly trying to defuse the situation.

They clearly weren't doing a good job.

"The student Council…" Kallen said distantly. I became frustrated, angry, maybe even furious.

**Click.**

"We need to fix this, Kallen, call the others and tell them to suit up. We have a shit-storm to navigate." Kallen turned me slightly irate.

"You can't honestly be considering going there yourself?"

"I'm not going to argue with you here! Either you help me, or you can stay here and watch! But I refuse to sit by and wait while my friends and innocent civilians are killed simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kallen backed down understanding my point, shortly after she reached for her phone and began dialing. I turned and headed back to my room to gather my supplies.

Once there I made sure to pop a double dose of the painkiller, hoping that it wouldn't impair my ability to act as I desired.

As I swallowed the pills I thought.

_This is going to hurt… _

**To be continued…**


	22. Geass: No plan? No problem!

Audacity chapter 22.

*On my profile there are several things pertaining directly to the story those things being, a picture of Gray Jack, An audio rendition of chapter 1… Soon to be more, as well as a quick demonstration of how my character uses his butterfly knife. That aside this will be one of the last cannon hugging scenes throughout my story, future conflicts with Britannia will for the most part involve custom events that were triggered by my plot line. Please keep in mind that there are some events that are simply unavoidable whether or not they'll keep the same timing of appearance is very conditional.*

Response to reviews by: XT3 and Alastor Pariah. I appreciate the support; I try to make it so you don't have to wait too long for an update… But shit happens… like football… Call of duty… Spontaneous combustion, you know the drill. Lol.

Response to review by: Eva-Saiyajin. I agree with some of your analysis, at least when pertaining to CC and my grammar. Gray Jack came from an incredibly scary nightmare I had a few years ago, so I tend to embody him as the epitome of fear… Sometimes I forget he does not have the same effect on other people… Especially people that have been alive for several hundred years. I would like to go back and change what I wrote, but that's just how I saw the scene in my head at the time. Regardless I agree with you on that point.

As to the issue with Kallen not acting as she should have, I have to disagree to a certain point. Considering my character was in a injured state at the time I simply couldn't imagine her showing an act of aggression, not to mention she reacts in similar ways to teasing throughout the original series, I'm not trying to say you're wrong… I'm just saying I'm not either.

But please do note, your review has helped me significantly I had no idea I overused the word 'this' nor did I realize I was overusing it incorrectly. Your review has helped me patch up a few inconsistencies throughout my story. Thank you.

Response to review by: Debido. Thank you for noticing one of the points I try to subtly push throughout the entirety of my story. That being for those of you who didn't notice 'people screw up, shit happens.' I want to make my character more interesting, anywhere you guys can point out things only helps that even more. Thank you for your thoughtful review.

I had listed the supplies we would need, mostly just infantry materials, however I made sure to requisition that two knightmares be brought along as well. We were set up to rendezvous in the town of Kodachi, less than a 5 minute drive away from the hotel. In order to get there I had to Geass another taxi driver. Surprisingly enough this one was a woman; but that didn't stop me from demonstrating my Geass ability to Kallen even further.

I had made sure to bring both my Glock and my model 36, I had given up trying to reacquire my High Point 45. Weaponry aside, I had no idea how I was going to get into the hotel… Better yet, I had no idea how was going to get past the Britannians and then into the hotel. I realized if the Britannians couldn't ninja their way in, I more than likely wouldn't be able to either. And even if I was able to get myself in, my combat abilities would be almost 0.

Another option was to try and send word to the liberation front ahead of time and then try to force our way past the Britannian forces currently stationed. I didn't like that one too much primarily because I determined it had a high probability of failure, or at least serious casualties… My group was not yet ready for open combat, myself included.

The final option I considered was a bit more dramatic. Simply driving up there myself on the front of the procession would certainly be one way to get attention… However I was likely to get shot immediately. If I somehow managed to actually get a word in edgewise before dying, it was likely I could convince the Britannians to allow me entry.

_I suppose the operation's success is rather pivotal to who is currently in charge. If they're willing to grant me audience I could just Geass them. Even if they won't grant me an audience on fair terms I can always Geass them once they detain me and try to unmask me._

The vehicle hit a patch of rough road as we turned off an exit into Kodachi. This caused me to wince, luckily Kallen didn't notice. The extra painkillers I took didn't seem to be having too many negative effects on my body, in fact it was quite the uplift. I could almost walk straight without having to hunch over- I still had to make sure I didn't contort it or anything, but other than that, the only thing I felt was the constant twinge of the damaged flesh… As opposed to the debilitating, mind blurring yank from my ribs.

The driver slowed to a stop and we exited, I had already instilled my order in full so there was no need to worry about being traced.

"Which building is it?" I asked Kallen as I looked at three older places of business near the edge of the town, furthest away from the hotel.

"The one on the left." Saying nothing I headed towards the specified building. I considered removing the contact lens and simply keeping my eye closed at all points in time- that way I could use my Geass when I wanted to… However the loss of my depth perception was something I couldn't handle, at least not on top of my already existent handicaps. I simply hoped I would have enough time to remove the lens when I needed to use my power.

As I entered I shouted. "All right people first things first! Where's Yamada?" the group of people checking over weapons and a tactical display screen looked up at me in surprise.

"H-here Sir." Came the fumbling reply from Yamada. This was the first time I had managed to get a good look at him: he was almost my height and had light brown hair and a rather strong build. It looked as if he was the nervous type. Walking up to him slowly and menacingly, I opened my arms and hugged him gently, trying not to aggravate my injuries.

"I love you so much… You carried my heavy ass at least a full mile." Tamaki burst out laughing at the scene. Despite the humor, I looked at him seriously and said. "Really though, thank you, I owe you my life now." Yamada scratched the back of his head nervously.

"It was nothing Sir, just glad you're still alive." I nodded and walked over to the display map.

"Oghi, are all the materials I requested here?" Clicking a button on the laptop, Oghi changed the screen and looked at me.

"Yes, we have everything, but what I don't understand is why we didn't bring any of the body armor?" The answer should've been obvious but I enlightened him regardless.

"If we manage to make it into the hotel, the Liberation Front wouldn't take it to kindly if we're wearing the enemy's uniform… Or in this case armor. It's bad enough we're using their weapons, I don't want to give them the wrong impression." At least not at first. Ohgi took the answer and began describing the situation.

"According to these blueprints the building has 36 levels total. There is also an underground maintenance route they have for moving around supplies but we expect that to be heavily guarded by the Britannians and the JLF on either side. The bridge going to the front entrance is in the exact same situation."

I thought about my options, it was as I had surmised for the most part. I hadn't been able to take into account the underground tunnel but it turned out to be rather irrelevant.

"Why couldn't we bring all the knightmares? I mean, if we're going to help the JLF they're going to need all the armor they can get." I looked at Ohgi genuinely shocked.

"Ohgi… We're here to stop the Liberation Front; they've taken innocent people hostage, it doesn't matter whether or not the hostages are Britannian." The whole group was taken slightly aback.

"What? But they're on our side!" I snapped my vision to Tamaki who had been the source of the outburst.

"They are not! The moment they decided to deliberately involve civilians was the moment they became our enemies! Unless you condone the needless use of violence against those who cannot defend themselves!" everyone was quiet at this.

"This shit just got a whole lot deeper! So let me elaborate! We are here to save the people that have been taken hostage… Not to kill the Britannians… Am I understood?" The room was silent but everyone nodded.

"Good now that we've made that clear we're leaving. Once we get inside the hotel we're going to act as if we're trying to be a supplementary force… The two nightmares will help Testament to that, if we can get them inside. Once I give the signal, the two Knightmares will mop up the soldiers outside… I expect no survivors. The rest of us will sweep and clear the floors after dealing with whoever is in charge."

"That would be Lt. Col. Kusakabe…" Someone stated.

"Not for long…"

***200 yards from the Britannian blockade.***

"Easy, easy…" I said, despite the fact no one could hear me; I was standing on top of a nondescript black van that the others had arrived in and were currently inside of. It was a pain in the ass to keep my balance but I managed… Barely. Surprisingly enough I didn't have to explain to the others why I needed to be visible to the Britannians, however they did look at me funny once I made Tamaki give me a lift onto the vehicle.

_I need to be sure they're interested and don't shoot us on site… Though they might end up doing that anyway._

I was shook from my thoughts by a loud speaker-amplified voice coming from a Knightmare frame.

"Stop! You are hereby under arrest for crimes against the crown, murder of Britannian royalty, and trespassing!"

I looked up and saw a formation of Knightmares had encircled us before we even made it within 100 yards of the bridge.

"Very well! However, if I'm going to be arrested I would like to talk to your commanding officer!"

"Unacceptable! Lay down your arms or you will be shot!" I smirked slightly behind the mask.

"You would shoot me even though I'm the only one who can save the hostages?" I really wasn't liking the fact that I saw nothing but Knightmares, it was incredibly hard to judge their physical reactions. I couldn't tell whether or not I was interesting them. The few foot soldiers that were there were gathering around the feet of the Britannian Sutherlands.

"I wish to negotiate terms of cooperation until the hostages are rescued! Unless of course you want them all to die?" I looked below the Knightmares and saw dozens of foot soldiers now assembled as well, the strange thing was they all seem to be in a panic. It was very strange, not to mention the fact that amongst them I saw a pretty young girl wearing a pink dress.

_That's weird, I wonder what she's doing here?_

I was completely shocked by the next turn of events.

"I will speak with you Cypher, as long as you promise not to raise your weapons against my forces!" it was hard to believe, but it appeared as if this pretty pink princess was the person in charge… I noticed that she walked closer to the front of the line, as she did this the knightmares around the two Sutherlands we had brought began to edge closer. Throughout the absurdity the same voice could be heard again coming from the lead knightmare.

"Princess Euphemia! You can't do this! This man is a terrorist! Please let us deal with him!" I was worried for a moment, worried that she might actually oblige to him.

This was already a shot in the dark… I'm surprised they haven't killed us yet. I thought grimly as I ambled off the van with an audible grunt a line of pain going to my internal organs. I walked in front of the vehicle my hands at my sides, trying to look as unimposing as possible. Euphemia tried to walk up towards me but several men attempted to stop her, she ended up shaking them all off and ordering them to resume their position.

_She's actually going to talk to me! holy shit! She's either really stupid, or desperate to save the hostages._

I could feel the tension in the air; it acted as an almost tangible resistance as I walked forward. I reached over to hold my side instinctively and I heard at least a dozen safeties click off.

_I better not make any sudden moves, I guarantee every soldier here has there sight aimed at my face… err, mask._

I stopped roughly 6 feet from Euphemia.

"Greetings Viceroy, it's a pleasure to see you in a situation where I'm not trying to kill you." This produced a visible wince from the girl. Her eyes looked troubled, as if she had missed a good deal of sleep and had been crying. Despite this she still managed to look determined and dignified… Not to mention very pretty.

"So Cypher, how do you plan t-" I cut her off slightly agitated.

"Cypher 01" I growled, amongst my enemies I would not tolerate a half assed version of my alias. She looked at me as the oddity I was and corrected herself.

"Very well, Cypher 01… How do you plan on saving the hostages?" I considered lying to her for brief moment, but then decided otherwise… I honestly hadn't thought far ahead enough to the point where I had a fake strategy to give my enemies.

"I plan to enter the hotel under the guise of supplementary forces, after this I will proceed to assassinate Lieut. Col. Kusakabe. Immediately preceding this, I will use both myself and my men to sweep and clear the rest of the floors until we reach the hostages… The rest is self-explanatory, I bring them back…you let me leave unharmed." I noticed that she was clutching both her fists tightly, it was obvious she was either trying to hold back or was very stressed, possibly both.

"And what makes you think I won't have you arrested here and now?" she threatened. This caused me to smirk behind the mask. I shifted my posture to a wide stance and pretended to tip my nonexistent hat.

"That Viceroy, is because you want to save as many people as possible… Right? And by allowing me to do your dirty work we can accomplish our goals with this few deaths as possible." I couldn't see her reaction while still staring at the ground due to my theatrics.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quickly. I looked back up at her and tilted my head slightly.

"Why? Because I believe it is the right thing to do."

"Was killing my sister the right thing to do?" I was a bit shocked at the venom behind the words. I quickly put two and two together.

_Her sister was Viceroy Cornelia? Son of a bitch! I really need to start paying attention to politics._

Despite my shock I replied smoothly.

"Because she needlessly endangered the civilians in the Saitama ghetto in her attempt to root out the terrorists… The same with Clovis. I did what I thought was right, and I will continue to do so, assuming you will let me this time. You now hold the key to the prison those hostages are in." I motioned towards myself.

"I can guarantee you the release of those hostages… And even if I fail, I will still end up dead or captured. So no matter how you look at it it's a win-win situation… Unless you also fail to save them, and you been doing such a great job with that so far." I couldn't help but allow a small chuckle to escape me.

"Very well, I will allow you to enter… But when this is over we will be enemies again." I tilted my head once more but in the opposite direction.

"So does that mean I have your word? You will not attack us once we return with the hostages safely?" she nodded once sternly.

"I will allow you to return from whence you came."

_Perfect… _I started laughing sadistically but ended up clutching my side almost gasping in pain. Slightly embarrassed of my injuries I walked away saying.

"I'm just gonna go now, pretend that didn't happen." The whole point behind me acting so sporadically with my emotions as Cypher 01 was to keep people from predicting what I would do next… I had yet to determine whether or not it was working… Even if it wasn't, I was thoroughly enjoying the chance to let the darker side of my personality roam free.

"You heard the lady! We're moving up!" the Knightmares blocking our path cleared the way as I struggled onto the van once more, settling for a seated position on top of the cargo rack we proceeded forward, very, very slowly… With far too many guns trained on us for my liking. Once we made it past the Britannians, we picked up our speed only to slow down once we reached the closed gate on the other side of the bridge.

_I'm sure Kusakabe is watching the movements of the Britannians sharply and has seen me coming… or at least noticed the commotion. _We came to a halt at the gate. A man behind it shouted something in Japanese then followed up with English.

"Halt! State your business." I smirked by my mask, he said the exact lines I had hoped for.

"I wish to speak to Lt. Col. Kusakabe… We need to smooth out the terms of our cooperation." The man said nothing back for several seconds. I began wondering if they were just ignoring us when finally we received a sort of confirmation.

"You may proceed by the Lt. Col.'s orders."

_Ahh… so they checked with their superiors first, that explains the delay in conversation._ The gate slid open with a loud screech, allowing my group to enter. I slid off the vehicle as gently as possible once we made it to the front entrance of the hotel. Tamaki was the first one to exit the van, fully armed like the others. Four men in green uniforms walked up to me with their submachine guns at their sides.

"This Way, Cypher. We will bring you to the Lt. Col. But your group must wait outside when you speak to him."

"Acceptable." I said while nodding, allowing them to lead us onwards through the hotel.

I'll admit I was blatantly impressed by the grandeur of the hotel. Polished white marble, gold trim, crystal chandeliers, intricately carved statues, and a water fountain in the lobby. All of it looked very… expensive… I couldn't wait to start shooting it. The four men leading us divided themselves into two groups and motioned for a set of elevators. They attempted to divide my group so that they would enter the elevator on the left, and the four guards would be in the elevator on the right… Alone… With me. I wasn't a dumb ass; it was obvious if they were going to pull something they would do it in the elevator.

"Oh dearest Kallen, would you be so kind as to come with me?" I asked blatantly challenging their attempts at segregation. She complied and entered the elevator with me and the four guards.

Tamaki obviously didn't notice the separation and began spouting stupid questions… Which surprisingly turned out to be rather intelligent once I thought about it.

"Hey! What floor are we supposed to go to?" one of the guards said something in Japanese and Tamaki turned around wordlessly and closed the doors. As the doors closed I could see the worried faces of the rest of my cell.

Once we had closed the doors to the elevator I took off my mask. This caused everyone including Kallen to go wide in the eyes, they didn't get a very good look at my face due to the fact I was struggling with my contact lens. But once I got it off I went to work.

"{Obey me!}" I ordered as I looked at the clearly curious soldiers. Their shocked expressions immediately changed to that of stiff stoicism as my Geass took effect.

"{Where are the hostages located?}" I asked the man closest to me as I placed the contact back into its box slipping it into my pocket. I would need my Geass again very soon.

_I'll just have to keep my eye closed while I'm talking._

"{The 27th floor, in a storage room all the way in the back.}" His accent was heavy and his information was barely detailed enough, but with little searching we could find it.

"{How many men are guarding it?}" I saw that we're at the 15th floor already… I was running out of time for questions.

"{There should be two on the outside of the door, as well as four inside the room… There is also a patrol guard on the floor going to the hallways for extra protection.}" We were past the 20th floor; I need to speed things up.

"{When I speak to your commanding officer you are not to harm me… All of you.}" They all saluted in confirmation. "{Continue acting as usual until further notice}" The doors opened revealing a dark hallway.

Just in time. I thought smugly. Judging from how dark it is, they must have emergency generators running to only power necessary facilities… If that much.

We continued walking down the dark hallways until we reached a dead end to which a single door was on the right. One of the soldiers that I had Geassed opened it for me. Two of them stayed outside to guard the door, the rest came with me. Inside the room there were five soldiers, including the ones that had been Geassed, as well as a man sitting on a couch at the center of the room.

"Cypher…01." He said smugly from his seated vantage.

"Lt. Col. Kusakabe." I said with a similar tone. He motioned for me to sit down; I declined politely and chose to stand across the table in front of him. He appeared slightly insulted, but did not let it affect his words.

"So what made you decide to come and work for me?" the word 'for' helped me understand what type of man he was.

"I intend to work with you… But before I get to that, I wish to know why you've taken these people hostage." He placed both his hands on his knees and grunted.

"I'm showing the world that the Japanese aren't dead yet! And we still have a voice and a fighting spirit!" he proclaimed proudly.

"Pfft. Then you've chosen an absolutely retarded way of expressing that." One of the soldiers protested at my words but the Lt. Col. lifted his hand to silence him.

"What do you mean by that Cypher?" The irritated edge in his voice was obvious.

"I mean, you're only pissing off the public by taking their fellow citizens hostage and using them as bartering tools. You'll never gain the trust of the masses by taking advantage of them." I stated confident in my reasoning.

"You speak of trust when you won't show us your face? Remove your mask and I'll consider letting you work as one of my captains!"

"I would never work for someone who is lesser than I…" The tension in the room immediately spiked.

"Then we have no more business here!" he said as he drew his sword and lunged towards me. Opening my left eye I cast a command in a panic.

"{STOP!}" it was the first thing that came out of my mouth. Everyone complied but that didn't stop the forward momentum of the Lt. Col. This became especially clear as his sword dipped down and pierced my thigh.

"{Gahh! Fuck!}" I screamed as I drew my Glock and shot the Lt. Col. The moment his grip left his sword I stumbled back, bumping into the wall painfully. The rest of the group in front of me was still frozen but I had no idea how long it would last, taking aim carefully for each shot, I unloaded the entire magazine into the soldiers. The door swung open revealing the two who had stayed to guard the door.

"{This is further notice! Come inside and DIE!}" I ordered hoping it would conceal the fact that they killed themselves. I barely heard the gunshots as I focused on removing the sword from my leg. I'll admit it was significantly less painful than a bullet wound… But it was no less debilitating, especially considering the location. The white hot stinging sensation emanated from the opening as the blade fully left my flesh. Blood flowed profusely as I struggled to stay standing.

"Cypher!" came several shouts of concern from the door. I looked up and saw my allies trying to force their way in and assist me. Closing my left eye my spoke to them harshly.

"Leave! I will move out after I treat my injury… AHHH FUCK!" I said as I plopped down onto the table next to Kusakabe's corpse. They tried to protest regardless of my already standing orders. "GET THE FUCK OUT NOW, THIS IS NON NEGOTIABLE!" still doubting my orders they stayed for a moment or two longer, but once they saw the dead bodies they were both confused and fearful. The moment the door clicked shut I doubled over in pain.

"I can't do this on my own… If this keeps up I'm going to die from blood loss." I rapidly considered my options, none of them allowed me to continue the mission… except one…

"Gray Jack…" There was a moment of silence as I stared at my bleeding wound; a small pool of blood was beginning to form on the table. A quick flash of light caused me to jump. Strangely enough, I couldn't feel my injuries, it was getting to the point where it hurt so much I couldn't feel it.

"You rang?" Came an overly smug question from behind me.

"I need your help…" I said sadly. I didn't want to accept help from him, not in this type of situation.

"Oh really? You sure you can afford it?" I grit my teeth and turned to look at him. He was crouched over poking one of the dead bodies with one of his impossibly long fingers.

"How much, will it cost…" I practically hissed at him.

"How much will what cost? You really need to be clear with me or else I won't understand." His high and mighty attitude was beginning to piss me off.

"How much would it cost for you to patch me up." I said defeated. I continued looking at him as he began rubbing his nonexistent chin.

"Throw me an offer." He ordered.

_That's not good- I won't know if I'm actually getting a decent deal._ I looked to the pool of blood; it was already starting to spill over the table. I'm running out of time… but what could I possibly offer him other than… A few ideas came to me.

"My soul… you can use that right?" I questioned to make sure. He nodded while grinning widely.

"Then I offer you five years of indentured service, during that five years you have exclusive rights to my Soul… Assuming you return it to me when that time is up." It was clear from his expression that he had not expected that. The skin on his forehead raised and wrinkled as he donned a bemused expression.

"Make it ten years and you have a deal." I had no idea what he could do with my soul, but from the way he was bargaining it was clear he could use it for something… I grit my teeth, I had no other options, it was that or die slowly, and/or fail my objective.

"Deal, ten years of indentured service allowing my soul for your use… Upon the conclusion of ten years I'm to be given my soul back and allowed to carry on the remainder of my life." Jack stood and approached me reaching out and placing a long appendage on my shoulder.

"I will take you up on your offer… However, I will refrain from using your soul until after you die. Once you die in this world I'll use your soul for whatever I want… Only for the determined amount of time of course." I nodded and motioned for him to proceed… Despite the fact I had no idea how he would fix me.

The world flashed white and he was gone. I was about to begin screaming angrily until I noticed something. Despite the fact I still had blood-soaked pants, I felt no pain… From none of my injuries. I inspected them all in turn. I didn't even feel lightheaded from blood loss.

"So you are a man, err thingamajig, of your word…" I found that fact rather comforting.

I surveyed the carnage around me- it would be hard to convince them that I had dispatched every soldier legitimately. But telling them about my Geass was out of the question for now.

_I'll just have to let their imagination wander on this one. I'm sure Kallen will understand how I did it._

I made sure to reload the Glock before I left. I simply dropped empty magazine, knowing it left physical evidence behind… But I couldn't risk the chance of needing to reload and accidentally grabbing a empty mag by mistake. Opening the door I pretended to be injured as I hobbled out clutching my leg.

My 10 combatants stared at me in absolute shock, it was hard to see my blood through the dark color of the pants, but it was still visible. Ignoring the questions and attempts to call off the mission, I began giving orders, being sure to talk only with my left eye closed.

"No, we're still doing this. The hostages are on floor 27. We are going to need to take care of any resistance and escort the hostages out." Surprisingly the next voice of concern came from Tamaki himself.

"Hey man, you got more holes in you than a piece of cheese… we can handle the rest from here." I took the extra assault rifle Oghi had been carrying.

"The next person who tries to stop me gets shot, that includes you guys. Now come on." I ordered harshly as I falsely hobbled to the elevator. It was clear they weren't happy but nobody voiced their complaints anymore. I noticed the numbers on the digital display pad above the doors, they were going up steadily… This meant someone was in the elevator for I had yet to press the button. Double checking the assault rifle I clicked off the safety aimed at the doors.

DING! Was the sound the elevator made as it opened. I barely took a fraction of second to identify my targets. Two Liberation Front soldiers. I placed a five round bursts in each of them. I pushed one of the fallen bodies further into the elevator to allow the doors to close. Once in the elevator I turned around.

"If you're not coming with me… I'll go alone." Kallen stalked into the elevator angrily muttering.

"Idiots gonna get himself killed." Oghi, Tamaki, Yamada, Yoshida and the others were soon to follow. Although they did appear slightly disgruntled at the dead bodies leaking blood onto their shoes; I knew they had seen death before, this was no exception.

"Do we even know where the hostages are?" Tamaki questioned loudly.

"Level 27… They're going to have a guard detail, so double check your weapons." I didn't take long to reach the floor. The instant the elevator doors opened I bolted for the nearest piece of cover, a concave area where a door was. All throughout the hallways there were dozens of them. For every room there was a compartment that housed a door to a room, regardless of whether or not the door was open it still provided more than enough cover for two people if not three. Everyone else did the same, I listened…. For a good while I heard nothing.

"Break into two groups, one group hang right and go down that hallway over there and clear it. I don't want to get shot in the back, everyone else is with me." I was left with Kallen, Ohgi, Yamada, Ishida, and some guy whose name I didn't know. I peeked from cover and saw only the end of the hallway that carried onto the right around a corner. Hugging the wall as best I could I linked up with the corner down the hall and peeked around that one as well.

I raised my left hand to signal for my group to stop. I held up one finger, then another and pointed towards the corner, then held a finger to my lips as I reach for my butterfly knife.

_Let's try and make this quiet, I can handle two guys… That sounds weird…_ I observed the two soldiers, each of them stood at either side of the next hallway, effectively preventing anyone from walking by unnoticed; it was obvious these men were the front line alert guard. Opening my left eye, I sprinted towards them, knife in my right hand, rifle in my left. They noticed me almost immediately and raised their weapons. Before they could shout anything I gave my order.

"{Freeze!}" I tried to say it with as little volume is possible. They hesitated just long enough for me to run by and slash the throat of the first guard, a fountain of blood followed and painted my body as I skipped forward and jammed the bloodstained blade to the other guards jugular, ripping the knife upwards I made sure to catch his carotid artery as well.

The men fell to the ground, gurgling gruesomely. Death didn't scare me, but it was still disgusting when it was this intimate. My hyper alert state allowed me to hear every air bubble escape their lungs as they tried to force air in and out of their mutilated throats. Eventually they became silent, never to make noise again. I ran up to the nearest door crevice behind the previously guarded area and motioned for my squad to do the same.

"That was sick man." Whispered Tamaki. I couldn't tell if it was a complement or a disgusted statement. Soon after we had dealt with the first two guards, the second squad reconvened with us. With10 people behind me, I inched forward being sure to check every door: some were open, some looked as if they had been kicked in. We didn't have the time to clear each and every room, nor the resources.

The man said towards the back, so if we simply skirt the corners we should meet up with it eventually.

This idea became slightly more complicated for at the end of the hallway there was a T, I looked left and right and saw no one. Peering all the way down my right I noticed only to hallways both going towards the back of the building where our objective might be, there was also another one to my left.

"Break into two groups again." I whispered. "There are two hallways down there, use the same groups as last time. Put three men on each hallway and try to move up quietly. Until you reach the end of the hallway feel free to shoot first and ask questions later, but once you turn the corner I want you to try and identify targets." Before the second group could break off once more I gave a final order.

"If you run into any contacts be sure the radio me." They nodded and continued on their way. I took my group once more than headed to the hallway on the left.

_If we keep hitting intersections we're going to end up thinning out too much to be any good in a fight._ I thought as I leaned from the corner down, what I hoped, would be one of the last hallways. It was dark but I could make out a dimly lit sandbagged position.

_Dammit they have it fortified, I didn't expect this… I might be able to approach them calmly; after all they wouldn't expect me to get past those first two so quietly._

I determined since this specific area was fortified, that my objective must be just behind it, or at very least not too far away. I concluded we were close to the other side of the building, but it was hard to tell. It was too dark and too maze-like to properly determine distance without some sort of extra perspective.

Before I broke from cover a radio transmission came from of Ohgi's headset.

"Both teams say they've encountered fortified positions similar to this one in both the hallways over there." I looked down towards the other group, I could barely see them but they were posted up in a similar fashion.

"Tell them to break for better cover and advance the moment they hear gunshots." Ohgi complied and relayed the order. Ignoring the whispers of protest, I walked straight into the open, assault rifle casually in hand. Before I even made it halfway down the hallway I was stopped.

"Hey! Stop right there, you need permission to be here." A man said while leaning over the sandbags and aiming a submachine gun at me.

"{Die!}" I ordered as I unloaded the remainder of my magazine and jumped into the cover on my right. The soldiers reacted by sending a torrent of gunfire that tore through the hallway with a deafening wail. I looked back at my squad; they were taking cover in the doorways just one room down from me.

The enemy hail of gunfire broke briefly; I was about to break from cover until I remembered I had yet to reload. While I was in the process of reloading Oghi and the others began firing, I realize the fire was two rapid to be accurate. The situation quickly explained itself as I saw Kallen moving up and firing her rifle in single shots, taking infrequent but significantly more accurate shots at the enemy.

On an odd side note, I noticed she was kind of hot with the way the multitudes of muzzle flash threw the shadows across her supple body. And not to mention th-

I have bigger problems than hormones at the moment. Pay more attention to the guys shooting at you! Hey wait a minute did I just cut myself off? Weird… Moving on.

There was a brief break in gunfire; I took advantage of it by quickly getting on one knee and leaning out of my cover while aiming down my sight. I couldn't see a full target through the sandbags; however I did notice a person's leg slightly exposed near the edge of the cover, a sandbag appeared to have fallen over after being pounded by the 223 Remington several times. I aimed for the ankle and let loose two rounds.

CLACK! CLACK!

My two shots sounded out of place in the relative quiet between the exchanges of volleys. Risking exposure I checked to see if I'd made contact with the target, all I could hear was the screening of a man and swearing in Japanese. From the looks of it I had practically taken his ankle off.

_I really wish I had an earpiece right now, it's obvious the Intel on the enemy's numbers was off._ Several torrents of gunfire tore through my position specifically this time. Way off. There's at least six guys up there, not to mention at least a few where ever the other squads are engaged at. I poked the gun out with my wrist and fired a few shots blindly. I just hope they don't decide to execute the hostages in an act of desperation or something.

Looking back to Kallen, I noticed she had taken cover in almost the exact same way I had. I waved at her childishly; she did not return the sentiment as she fired blindly from her position.

The firefight was beyond aggravating as it dragged on: it got to the point where neither side was willing to waste ammo on suppressive fire and only fired when some idiot tried to advance or poked from cover. Because of this my ability to hear and be heard was significantly greater than it previously had been… Unfortunately the same could be said about Tamaki.

"Great! You just had to piss'em off! You could've tried to sneak up there but noooo! Instead you just fired blindly and only got one of them!" It was as if he was trying to make me shoot at him instead of the enemy.

"Shut the fuck up Tamaki! You're not helping!" I shouted back at him.

"Why are you even up there! I've barely seen you take a shot since you started hiding there!"

"Yeah? Well at least I've killed some of them!" all I heard in return with various profanities some of which were in Japanese. Almost a full minute went by after that… Not a single shot was fired, not a single casing was spent or ejected… I was getting bored.

"Screw this!" I yelled as I stood and exposed half my body. I loosed a consistent yell along with a full magazine catching the soldiers off guard after such a long pause in action. I didn't get a single hit, but what I did get was every last enemy squeezing tighter to their selected cover.

Just then a suicidal idea dawned upon me. I ejected the empty magazine and inserted my final one. I then shouted.

"Cover me! I'm doing something stupid!" as I yelled this I dashed from cover while spraying blindly and inaccurately, I skipped a zigzag pattern as I neared the sandbags, 10 feet from the sandbags my gun clicked empty.

_Time for the stupid part!_ I straightened my Sprint and leapt into the air both feet extended outwards towards the sand bags. The dropkick connected with the cover effectively knocking the top end of it over and onto the soldiers behind it. It also put me on my ass, which was a distinct disadvantage. Rolling to the left I reached for my Glock, noticing there were only four men behind the remainder of the cover.

_If I take cover here those men will just shoot around it given the angle I'm at._ My thought took less than a millisecond to form as I drew a conclusion from it. Brazenly taking a stand, I sighted the Glock on the first soldier easily shooting him in the chest twice. As he doubled over on himself leaking blood and a fantastic display of blood pressure, he also pulled the trigger on his firearm causing it to spray wildly to the wall beside him.

Instantaneously I snapped onto the next man and fired several times, the first few rounds either missed entirely only caught glancing hits, however I was saved by a lucky shot to his right eye that caused this entire head to jerk back, the officers hat he had been wearing flew off because of this and landed on the floor before his body could hit it.

The two remaining men did not hesitate to shoot, but they did hesitate to aim, for nearly every shot was extremely wild as I dispatched them both barely keeping my wits about me. With my heart rate hammering I slumped against the wall, coming down from my adrenaline high.

Kallen quickly broke from cover and ran up to me, at first I thought she was going to offer me her hand and help me up, instead she crouched down dropping her assault rifle and began shaking me.

"Cypher! Wake up! Stay with us!" I thought this was absurd for a brief moment until I remembered what would have been my predicament had I not received help from the unearthly.

_Oh yeah… I'm supposed be seriously injured._ I gripped her shoulder tightly and hauled myself upwards my legs shaking from both excitement and fear.

"Tamaki, Ishida. Go assist the other squad." The two ran off no longer questioning my orders. I could still hear gunfire from a few halls over. I briefly considered sending Kallen and Ohgi as well but I knew they would not comply due to what they thought was my physical condition. I walked forward past the position we had just taken to survey the area behind it. It was a corner, more specifically one of the four corners of the building. I looked to the right and saw the two hallways I had sent the other squad to.

"This could be our objective, let's breach and clear these rooms." There were only two rooms in the corner of the hall. There was a room to the right that said 'maintenance' on a brass plaque centered in the middle of the door.

"On second thought this has to be it." I bumped my shoulder against the frame.

"Kallen, get on the other side, Ohgi I need you to kick in the door. The moment it caves in I want you to get out of the doorframe." Kallen double checked her rifle and I did the same to my Glock.

"Here we go" Ohgi said before revving up his leg and slamming it into the door nearly kicking the door knob instead. The door flew inwards with a quick shower of wood splinters, Ohgi moved out of the way immediately.

There was nothing, no sounds at least. I decided to be the idiot that goes first, whipping my gun around and began clearing the corners.

Clear le- holy shit! I couldn't see a single enemy however I could see nigh upon 200 people all sitting on the floor with wide and worried eyes. I made sure to search for the student Council members with my eyes while I gave the next command.

"Ohgi, tell the others to hurry up, we got'em" I didn't wait and listen for him to relay the command instead I walked closer to the hostages.

"Do not worry! We're here to take you to safety. As long as no one tries anything, everyone will be able to leave safely!" The looks of disbelief I was getting from the people was rather surprising. "You heard me dammit, get up and get going cuz' if not I'm leaving without you guys!" I threw my arm in a wide arc and motioned towards the door.

Getting the hostages out simple enough, it took several trips on the elevator, making it so we had to guard both ends, but other than that, it was uneventful. Ishida had been the only one that had been injured in the firefight so we had little to no injuries to deal with amongst ourselves. And just as I predicted the two Knightmares outside easily handled their weak infantry fortified positions, not to mention their positions weren't set up to take an attack from behind- which would be smart if the enemy overtook it, but not if the enemy was already behind you.

As I exited the hotel ahead of everyone else, I noticed the destruction the Knightmares caused. There were bullet holes the size of my fist littered throughout what used to be sandbags and concrete walls. There were bits and pieces of the men who had been defending these positions… Not much else. I decided to walk the distance of the bridge allowing the Kightmares and the Van to trail behind me.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Ohgi had ordered that all of the elderly and injured be transported using the van. This significantly increased my opinion of him for the better. I made sure to hold a brisk pace to keep the van from overtaking me.

_There are going to be some questions about my sudden ability to shirk off cracked bones and stab wounds… I'll just have to play it up when we are away from the Britannians._

Once I made it to the other end of the bridge, a line of infantry and knightmares once again stood to block my path.

"Euphemia! I have done what I promised, now let me pass… Unless you plan on going back on our deal?" I shouted at the Britannian forces. It took several seconds but eventually a hole opened up and allowed us passage.

We left the hostages in the care of the Britannians, something I'm sure everyone was more comfortable with.

_Now to see if she keeps up on her end of the bargain…_ I thought cautiously as I entered the van and sat next to Kallen. We left just as slowly as we had arrived… Nobody stopped us, that was until a news van pulled up in front of us and flashed it's high beams several times.

"Could this be a trap?" asked Yoshida. I thought about it for a brief moment, but found no reason for the Britannians to do something like that.

"No, not likely." I said as I opened the door and stepped over to the news van. I had to admit their vehicle was significantly better than ours: it was larger and looked a lot newer. It didn't stop me from wanting to kick in the headlights that flashed at us though.

_We have two Knightmares and least 10 people with guns, who the in their right mind would stop us unarmed?_

My thought was quickly answered as a Britannian with blonde hair stepped out followed by a cameraman wearing a jacket displaying the logo of their news station. I couldn't help but smile at his audacious behaviour. That crazy bastard walked straight up to me and began asking questions.

_Does this idiot have any idea how close to getting killed he came? Probably not…_ I scratched my chin under the mask slightly revealing the side of my cheek.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" The man muttered a quick apology and introduced himself.

"My name is Diethard Reid, I'm with Hi-TV news studio. I'd like to ask you some questions." This was just plain out funny! Considering the amount of balls he had shown with stopping my procession, walking up and speaking to me directly, I could only oblige his request in return.

"Sure, have at thee." I said while nodding. The smile on his face was nothing but creepy; it was as if he was enjoying this more than anything else in the entire world.

"What is it you're doing? What do you hope to accomplish by saving those hostages?" I briefly looked behind me at the Britannian forces.

"Isn't it obvious? I wanted to bring those people back to their families, to stop the strong from preying upon the week. As to what I was doing… I was doing what I believed, and still believe, was the right thing to do and I expect no less from my associates."

"You mean the group that helped you? Those people in the black van over there?" I nodded and crossed my arms.

"Yes those are my allies; we have the same views for the most part… we all seek the same thing, justice."

"Justice? Isn't that that a bit of a lofty goal, not to mention vague. How do you plan on accomplishing this?" I chuckled darkly before I answered his question.

"We, being both myself and my allies, we will stand in judgment of those who commit atrocities! We will stand and fight against those who would oppress the rights of others! We will protect those without power! And prevent those with it from abusing it!" I paused briefly and extended my arm as if to grasp the world.

"We are the Seekers! And we are the ones who will stand in judgment of this world!" Diethard's eyes were wide, his expression emphatic. I turned abruptly as he began giving a sit rep of the situation back to the camera.

I entered the still open van and close the door.

"Go around them… I got what I wanted out of them, somehow." The two Knightmares veered off towards an entrance of the subway system while the van kept on and directed itself towards the Tokyo settlement.

"The Seekers… that's a bit odd, why did you choose that name?" Kallen asked me quietly. I smiled beneath the mask, the real answer was simple.

"Because we seek justice, the truth, that which is right… That's all I have left." I leaned my head against the glass and closed my eyes.

"No, nobody can say I have nothing…" I stated before falling asleep to the sound of the tires on the road.

**To be continued…**


	23. Geass: Ejecto seato

Audacity chapter 23.

*I apologize for not updating at my usual pace; shit has really been crazy lately, not to mention this specific chapter was an absolute pain in the asked to write due to all the technical information I had to look up and/or infer. That aside, I have placed more material on my profile page. There is now a depiction of Cypher 01's mask for your viewing pleasure.*

**Response to review by: Debido.** Popular…. Australian…. Folk music…. I did not fucking know that. All I can say is "I regret nothing!" and that it is very true when you stated that there is no strength or aggression in the name Seekers… That wasn't the objective, the point of the name was to convey what they are doing, or at least what their leader is doing. But regardless, I appreciate the input.

**Response to review by: Atrile.** Thanks, I really like the last line of my previous chapter as well. Also, thanks a bunch for pointing out mistakes like that… They're kind of hard for me to catch. And as I stated above, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. ( Compared to how I usually do things at least.)

**Response to review by: LEGENDRY.** Holy shit… You have left me with much to respond to… Sweet. As to the issue of whether or not he can Geass himself and another person at the same time, I go to the point where he can do it to multiple people ordinarily… So what's to stop him from catching someone in it and refracting it back to himself at the same time? Because I can only imagine, if everyone he Geass needed absolute direct eye contact he would have a much harder time using his power.

I am not sure whether or not people can see the Geass symbol… It clearly casts light in the anime, so in theory it should be visible to everyone… In theory. As to the G1 mobile base issue, he snuck into both Cornelia's and Clovis's command center…. That puts him at a total of two mobile basis infiltrated… Not to mention the Viceroy consulate he entered twice as well.

And to be honest with you, he did not know Euphemia would be there. His hopes were even if worst-case scenario came about, he could always pretend to surrender and Geass the person in command once unmasked.

As to the issue with Nina… That still under development… Not even I'm sure yet, at least not totally sure.

**Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin.** You might as well refer to him as Cypher, or even Cypher 01. The reason I don't change the bit with CC is primarily because that's how I saw the situation in my head so I can't bear to change it… For now.

Regarding the question about Cypher and is unavoidable confrontation with Mao… You can expect Gray Jack to run interference… At a price of course.

Call of duty Fuck Yeah!

And remember children, according to LEGENDRY, my character should never negotiate anything. **Ever.** So be sure to correct me if he ever tries this again under my nose.

**Line break.**

_What gives someone the right to kill another human being? The answer is simple, nothing. So the next question is; why do we kill people? Is it because we see our victim as an obstacle? Out of fear, or to protect ourselves? Or maybe it's because, in some sick and twisted way… We enjoy it?_

My thoughts sullenly droned on like this as I leaned over the railing atop of the roof on the student Council building, a lit cigarette dangling from my mouth. Inhaling deeply I exhaled while sighing. It had been two days since the Kawaguchi hotel jacking. Since that time the student Council had not been able to leave the school grounds due to the small horde of news reporters that had clustered around all of the schools entrances. Except for Shirley, her parents had used the most recent terrorist actions as an excuse to help justify why they needed to go back to the homeland, and as a result they left the day after she had been released from the hotel.

Hardly anyone managed to say goodbye.

Despite all of this, I managed to keep myself busy… Of course I need to do this under the nose of Kallen and the rest of the Seekers, I sent in my mask to Outlooks firearms to be fitted with some sort of eye lens system that could be flicked open or closed. I didn't know exactly what it would look like, but Douglas said it could be done, and as long as he was under the influence of my Geass he had no reason to lie to me.

I also managed to come in contact with David Spacer, he had been more than happy to part with his unused building, as well as the land around it. Not to mention his pockets were very deep… I made sure to abuse this with a little help from my Geass. He provided me with a ring of keys that went to the building and it's fenced off surroundings, I decided I would need to upgrade it's security features to more modern digital keypads, or at least the near equivalent, but that would have to wait until later.

The building itself on the first floor was far from impressive. Dozens of rusted pipes and containers were broken down and made movement and storage on the first level nearly impossible. However the two lower levels, accessible via stairs or the currently nonworking supply elevator, were completely devoid of anything other than a few piles rusted metal. With a little work it would become a fine facility, usable for anything I wanted.

My dealings with Kallen were aggravating at best, I knew she had my best interests at heart but the way she made me do absolutely nothing was infuriating… It mostly involved puppy guarding me and not allowing me to so much as flinch in any direction. It got to the point where I nearly considered doing push-ups and other such acts of physical exertion to demonstrate that I was in perfect health… However that would've led to questions I wasn't allowed to answer. So any and all time I had away from her was spent trying to gather resources.

I inhaled deeply once more, allowing nicotine to calm my system.

_What I really need to do is learn how to pilot a Knightmare… again. It would be best if I could get Kallen to help me, considering that she is the best that we have._

Deciding that this needed to get done sooner, rather than later I pulled out my phone and scrolled to Kallen's contact number. The phone rang three times before she answered.

"Lelouch? What's wrong?" I rolled my eyes at her question.

"Nothing wrong Kallen… I just have a request; no actually this is an order." I said authoritatively. "I desperately need to learn to pilot a knightmare frame, and I need you or someone else to teach me." There was a long pause before she said anything.

"If you think you're invincible or something I'm going to go right ahead and tell you that you're not."

"Duly noted, like I said this needs to get done… If you don't want to help that's fine; I just need to know where I can find a simulator."

"Of course I'll help!" Was her immediate and aggravated response.

"Good, then I'm assuming you know a place? If not we will have to use actual knightmares."

"We're probably going to end up using one of our own Sutherlands. You can sign up for classes at an actual training facility, but there's a whole mess of red tape you need to go through and I'm sure you don't want that." I nodded and put out my cigarette.

"Yeah, I get'cha. Tell Ohgi and the others to load up all of our supplies, I've secured a much better location for us to use as a headquarters from now on… But it might require a little fixing up." She seemed to perk up once I said that.

"Really? Where is it?" I smirked sideways, deciding to be cryptic.

"It's not too far off from our current location… But you'll have to wait until I bring you there to learn the rest, I'll meet you at the warehouse in an hour."

"All right, but if you hurt yourself further I'm forcibly admitting you to a hospital." She said threateningly.

I hung up shortly afterwards. Once I slid my phone into my lower breast pocket I realized something.

_Oh shit… I don't have my mask. I guess I'll just have to come up with something else for now at least._

***Warehouse nine.* **

As it turns out, I couldn't think of anything that would cover my identity… At least my specifications, so I decided to forgo the 'mask issue' entirely.

I stood outside of the role up gate with my arms crossed, I was kind of nervous. I had no idea how the Seekers would react to my actual identity. Oghi had taken it well enough, the same with Kallen… However I couldn't discount the fact that I was showing it to a group, and people tend to respond differently when in large numbers.

"Fuck it." I said defeated. I raised my fist and knocked on the metal loudly three times. I waited as I heard the resonating echo the voices inside, one of which was getting closer. Tamaki was the one to open the door as usual.

"Yeah? What do ya want? We're work'in here." I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"I'm aware." I said simply as I tried to push past him.

"Hey! You can't come in here it's not safe!" Tamaki was doing a pretty good job of playing the innocent worker… For a moron.

"Yes I know this Tamaki, now let me inside so I can help dammit!" I said failing my voice with authority.

"Just who the hell do you think you are to order me around!" I narrowed my eyes and uncrossed my arms.

_He didn't even notice that I used his name… Idiot…_

"I'm your God damn leader, that's who… Then again I can't blame you for not recognizing me without the mask." Tamaki gave me a once over, eyes wide, mouth agape. For a moment I thought he wasn't going to respond… I was very wrong.

"Cypher is a Britannian!" I flinched back due to the volume of his question I noticed that everyone inside had gathered around.

"Do you have a problem with that?" I said threateningly.

"How do we know you're not lying?" he asked, his resolve never wavering.

"Go ask Oghi, or even Kallen they already know who I am…" I tried pushing past him one more time only to have him remain firmly rooted in his spot. "Oh my God Tamaki, if you don't get out the way I'm going to kill you." He moved slightly and let me inside.

Once inside I noticed all the knightmares were in a kneeling position holding crates and pallets. The same black van was there as well, along with several older looking vehicles all of which looked capable of carrying several people.

"Kallen! Would you please inform our misguided allies that I am in fact Cypher 01?" I paused briefly. "Because apparently, with just the absence of my mask I become incredibly hard to believe." She was leaning against a red knightmare looking slightly disgruntled over something.

"Yeah that's him all right." She said almost disinterestedly while inspecting her nails. "If you still don't believe me just hang around him for a few minutes you'll notice the same mannerisms." I nodded, thankful for her assisted confirmation.

"If you have a problem with me being Britannian, then you are no better than the people we fight… Discrimination will not be tolerated here! Am I understood?" there were several nods and the occasional verbal confirmation; however Tamaki seemed determined to press the issue.

"How come you're so young?" I couldn't really blame him for asking that question, it still irked me though.

"Because… I haven't been alive long… That's probably why I'm so young." Tamaki shook his head vigorously.

"Not what I meant, how come you're fighting you don't seem to have a reason." Luckily Oghi came up and clarified.

"What he means to say is; why put yourself in this situation when you could live a perfectly happy life as a Britannian?" I shrugged and walked towards Kallen.

"Do I need a reason to do what I believe is right, besides I've already proven I'm on your side, with both actions and blood, I don't see why we're having this conversation." Before anyone said anything edgewise I began my announcement.

"I have secured a much more sizable headquarters for us, not to mention it's significantly more secluded. I suggest we wait until nightfall to move the nightmares and equipment. In the meantime I want a list of supplies that we need and/or want, regardless of what it is. I also want a list of all the new recruits that have volunteered." I said this while looking at both Ohgi and Yoshida. The two nodded and began conducting their tasks.

I walked closer to Kallen and stood in front of her with my arms crossed.

"Well? Are you going to just sit there pouting, or are you going to teach me how to use this big ass robot?" she turned around wordlessly and opened a panel on the side of the knightmare's leg. She pressed a button that caused a cable to come down after the cockpit unsealed and pushed its seat out.

"Put your foot on the bottom part and grab onto the cable." I did as I was told I nodded to her. I had seen this cable before on other knightmares.

_I wonder how much weight it can lif- _my thoughts were cut off as the cable jerked upwards, this caused me to lean back and lose my grip on the cable. Flailing my arms in either direction I was helpless as I began falling downwards, that was until my ankle caught the loop where I had placed my foot, causing me to dangle there indignantly.

"What the hell? A little warning would be nice!" I watched her upside down as she panicked and began pressing buttons on the side panel. Somewhere off on the other side of the warehouse I heard Tamaki burst into laughter. "Shut the fuck up Tamaki! It's not funny!" the cable then slowly brought me back down to ground level. I flipped over and pushed myself to a standing position. The next thing I felt was Kallen's hands on my shoulder as she began inspecting me while saying nervously.

"Oh my God! Are you all right? You didn't open your wounds did you?"

"No, the only thing I hurt was my pride." I stated as I put my foot on the bottom of the cable once more. "This time I'll be ready." Kallen looked at me nervously but returned her position on the control panel.

When the cable jerked for the second time I stayed upright, it lifted me all the way to the extended cockpit to which point I hoisted myself up by using one of the bars.

"Now what?" I said to Kallen as she pressed a button that caused the cable to go back down a third time.

"Just wait for me I'll show you what to do." She closed the panel and walked over to the cable, it retracted itself after she tugged on it twice. I edged over towards the main body of the knightmare to give her more room as she pulled herself up to stand level with me.

"Go ahead and sit in the seat." I complied, shortly afterwards I felt the seat move downwards slightly as Kallen began flipping and turning a small set of knobs and levers on the side of the seat.

"What are you doing now?" I asked curiously.

"Adjusting the seat for height, in case you didn't notice you're taller than me and that might affect the way you can see the monitors." She explained. "You might need to make some adjustments once the cockpit closes, but this should be good for now."

I nodded and looked inside the machine. But I saw could only be described as a cluster fuck of technology. There were four monitors, one on the left and right and two in the front; one was at a slight angle above the one at eye level. The next thing I noticed were two pistol grip joysticks. They had spherical attachments on the top as well as a series of triggers and finger separators on the actual handle itself. There were also three dials, all of which were powered down and displayed nothing but I was sure one of them displayed the power source to the knightmare itself, the other two I had no idea about.

"Scooter over some…" Kallen said with a flat tone. I edged to the corner of the seat as far as I could allowing her to hunch next to me. The seat then slid forward allowing the back hatch to close with a loud hiss. I tried not to lose focus as Kallen's body was literally pressed against mine in several places due to the confines of the cockpit, despite this she still pointed out several features on the knightmare.

"You see those two silver panels down there?" I looked down and noticed what she had described.

"You mean these things?" I asked as I tapped one of them with my foot.

"Yeah, those are the controls for the legs and land spinners. Reach down there and look for a little loop just like the one on the table that brought us up here." I leaned down while grunting lightly, feeling around for some sort of purchase to the so-called 'loop' I found it near the top of the panel and pulled it towards me. "Do the same to the other one." She ordered. With a similar grunt I found the other loop and did the same. "Slip your feet into them, when you want the knightmare to go forward using the land spinners all you need to do is angle your feet forwards." She explained.

"You can turn, push or pull the plates in just about any direction; the corresponding leg on the knightmare will go in the same direction to the best of its ability."

"How I dictate the knees?" I asked after not seeing any clear control for that specific part.

"Typically the knees will lift if you raise your foot while it's in one of the loops, the opposite will happen if you pushed downwards." She described using hand motions. "If you push down the knee will straighten out." I flexed and moved the controls at my feet experimentally, they did nothing in there powered down state, but I got a feel for their resistance nonetheless.

"Okay now that you got that, these two joysticks here control the arms. It's about the same concept, if you push forward on one that arm will go forward, if you pull back, the arm will also pull back."

"I'm assuming it's the same for left and right and up and down?"

"That's right." She said as she shifted to get more comfortable… If that was even possible. "These little spheres on the top of the joystick control the thumbs, it's almost the same concept as the other two controls I just showed you, however this one allows you to press on to the sphere." She paused and pressed the sphere multiple times in demonstration. "This will automatically open or close the hand of the knightmare with just one press. And if you spin it while it's pressed down you will just move the wrist." I nodded and slid my hand into the other joystick putting my fingers in the brass knuckle like finger separators.

"How do I control the other individual fingers?" I asked as I fiddled with it, already having a faint idea.

"Just squeeze or push your fingers outward on the corresponding separator, here it will be easier to show you once it's on." She dug into her pocket and extracted a USB looking device, shortly afterward she plugged it into a slot just under the center dial. She entered a seven digit code in the knightmare hummed to life, all four of the screens displayed the status of the knightmare and several startup sequences.

"That Dial on the left tells you your energy filler levels, the one in the middle displays your knightmare's physical condition, as well as any equipment you have linked with it. The one on the right shows the orientation of the knightmare such as the pitch and yaw."

"Can't you just call it up and down?" I asked sarcastically this caused her to roll her eyes at me.

"You have to call it by its proper name." She stated flatly, I took it as almost a challenge.

"Oh really? Okay then, from now on I will only refer to knightmares as 'big ass robots' and nothing else." She face palmed at my declaration.

"Please don't, that sounds really stupid."

"So does pitch and yaw…" I fired back with a crooked smile.

"Whatever." She said dismissively as she continued her explanations. "These four screens here are all links to cameras and the fact sphere sensor. You need to press this button to analyze things using the fact sphere." She pressed a button at the top left of the screen directly in front of me.

"It allows you to get more detailed information, as well as a thermal scan." She pressed the button again causing the fact sphere to close. She then explained which buttons did what, some were meant to zoom in on an image, some to zoom out, and others changed the visual system on the monitors entirely. Basically; anything that couldn't be done using the manual controls could more than likely be done using the panel system.

"Try bringing up an arm and clenching the fist a few times." She ordered. I moved both the arms experimentally for a few seconds; everything corresponded with what I was told. Contorting the joystick as was necessary lifted the arm until it was in the center of the front screen, I then began contracting and extending my fingers causing the knightmare's and to mimic my movements. I used the sphere on the joystick to move the wrist around the same time.

"Good, now try taking a step forward, the knightmare's stabilizers should keep you from falling… Unless you disable them." I lifted my left foot and pushed it forward bringing it down quickly afterwards. There was a satisfying metallic **THUD **as the machines foot met the ground safely.

"Sweet, were still alive!" I cheered emphatically. Before Kallen could supply her own witty remark Tamaki came up into the view of the right screen and began shouting.

"Hey you gonna do anything? I figured you would have been doing cartwheels by now!" I pressed the external speaker button and retorted.

"Nah… I've just been busy ya know. Just keep in mind, if the knightmares a rock'in, don't come a knock'in! OMPHH!" just as I finished my sentence Kallen struck me none too lightly on the back of my head. "Dammit woman! That hurt!" I said as I reached out to stop her from hitting me again… But instead grabbed a handful of boob.

"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GRABING!" I removed my hand immediately to cover my ears.

"WHAT I CAN'T HEAR YOU MABYE YOU SHOULD SCREAM LOUDER!" I yelled back at an equal volume.

"You know what, you can figure the rest out yourself!" that wasn't the desired effect.

"Wait, no! I'm sorry! Just relax!" I said as I try desperately to think of something to say. "It's not like I wanted to grab your boob or anything it was an accede-"

**SMACK!**

She hit me again, significantly harder than the last time…. In the same spot might I add. She then pressed the hatch release button causing the seat to slide outwards, allowing her to exit.

"Hold on Kallen, that is **not **what I meant to say!" It didn't matter, she had already walked off. "Damn it!" I swore to myself. "Fine then, I'll just do this myself, I know the basic controls and shit." I continued moving individual body parts throughout the knightmare, after about 15 minutes I gave enough courage to engage the land spinners and move around in the unoccupied half of the warehouse.

I started out simple, forward, back, left, and right. But I soon became bored of that and tried strafing. It turned out to be significantly more difficult than I had anticipated, but after a few tries and almost falling over I managed to get the knightmare to comply. I then angled legs of the knightmare so I was in a kneeling position. I tried several poses all of which mimicked what I would do if I was behind cover. But then I extended my left leg too far in the knightmare toppled over with a deafening **CHRASH! **

I groaned loudly and reoriented myself. I figured I might as well get used to this feeling, one way or the other I knew I would end up in it again. I press the external speaker button and spoke into the mic.

"I'm okay… For now." I announced to everyone to stymie their worrying. I checked the center dial to confirm that there was no damage to the knightmare. Shifting the left arm first I managed to get it underneath the chest of the frame and did the same soon afterwards with the right arm.

Piloting would've been an absolute cakewalk after a bit of repetitive practice… If it weren't for gravity. This single element made it significantly more difficult to access and manipulate the controls, especially while moving… And I had yet to even push this thing to its limits I could only imagine the amount of G forces that could and would be applied to me in combat.

After I brought the knightmare to a full standing position I began going through simple exercises, such as picking up an old crate and stacking it on others in various patterns. I even went so far as to attempt balancing several crates on one arm. I managed to get two on top of each other at the same time, however my attempts to put a third one on the stack resulted in what could best be described as an epic fail.

I continued on like this for several hours, until I noticed the sun had begun to set. I looked at the energy filler; I had used less than 20% due to the fact that I had been doing nothing strenuous. However my body was in a different situation, I was feeling rather stiff from not moving much at all for several hours. Going over all the controls once more my head I couldn't help but notice to levers on either side of my thighs. Not recognizing the system I pulled one of them experimentally… Nothing happened.

"That's weird…" I pushed it down only to pull it up again… Still nothing. I then turned to the other one and gave it a good yank. My body lurched forward suddenly as I heard the sound of thrusters and screeching metal. Just before my head hit the front monitor I realized something.

The cockpit had ejected.

**To be continued…**


	24. Geass: Aim

Audacity chapter 24.

*I apologize for the enormous delay; however I decided to take a break for bit… My break is over now as you can see, so you can expect regular updates, although don't be surprised when they're still a little bit slow. Regardless I know most of you are waiting for Mao to make an appearance… All I can say to that is, "Calm the hell down, we'll get there when we get there!" *

**Due to the fact that there are significantly more reviews, I didn't have the time to answer them all, so I brought in a couple of the characters from my story to answer them for you. Feel free to request a specific character to respond to your review in the future.**

**Gray Jack's response to: Atrile. **"Yeah, I know I am pretty damn scary, I just wish the other immortal gave off a few more facial expressions- after her initial shock she immediately became as non-revealing as a blank canvas." *Sighs lightly* "when it comes to Master Dumbshit ejecting, I couldn't help but laugh my ass off, and as to the boob grab incident… All I can say is that he knows how to make a bad situation worse." * crouches down and gets comfortable.*

"After examining his thoughts thoroughly, I concluded the reason he decided to forgo his mask was because he wasn't willing to put off knightmare practice just to conceal his identity from his allies… Lelouch seems to have some paranoia when it comes to people trusting him. He seems to think people are in constant suspicion of him." * Scratches side then walks away.*

**CC's response to: EVA-Saiyajin. **"This 'hilarious cliffhanger' you referring to has a good chance of getting my accomplice killed, although I can't blame you for finding it funny. Whatever, the author sends his regards for your reviews."

**Lelouch's response to: LEGENDRY. **"I hope CC actually tries to assist me in my endeavors, that would help a lot, and I guarantee you that I can pull off her wish… Whatever it is."

"As to CC's code… I'm assuming you mean immortality, and if that does somehow get in the way of Gray Jack's ability to use my soul… Well to be honest with you, I'd be a little bit scared if that was the case, primarily due to the fact that I don't know what he can and can't do. Not to mention I can only give so many people so much at any given time."

"Oh shit…. Milly… Geass canceler…. Why is my life so fucked up? I have one moment of weakness and already people are thinking of ways it can come and bite me on the ass! Seriously guys, come on! It's like you enjoy watching me suffer." *Grumbles to self.* " If Shirley does make some sort of reappearance I'm not even sure it would affect me anymore… Enough said."

"Hey wait a minute! I am perfectly capable of negotiating the terms of my own agreements! Not to mention I couldn't possibly imagine how someone could get bored with me, I'm infinitely amusing." *Lifts chin arrogantly.*

"The thing with Mao huh?... Jack already told me if others find out about him through me that he's simply going to kill them himself… So I'm sure he'll deal with the other mind reader in due time… Hopefully."

"Don't tell the author not to feel bad about the update speed! That bastard needs to get off his lazy ass and get to work! I got shit to do man! And I can't do it without him writing for me!"

**My response to Sgt. Underpants**… Really… you are a sergeant of underpants… but kind of scares me… whatever. As to my character's lifespan, only can really say is ' He has to die sometime… and I will be putting it in this story.' Feel free to quote me on that.

So far you are the first person to give my fan fiction this type of rating… it's nice to know where I stand some people's eyes. I genuinely appreciate this. Thank you very much for your review.

**Line break.**

My face was pressed against the foremost monitor as the G forces compelled me forward, when I felt a sudden jerk- I assumed I had hit the roof of the decrepit warehouse. After several more seconds of my face becoming intimately familiar with the monitor, all of the opposing forces let up. Pushing myself backwards I viewed the last remaining camera in the cockpit. As for my responses I had only one.

"Oh shit…" At the bottom of the screen was an image of the dock put in sharp contrast against the water due to the setting sun. I let out a girlish scream the cockpit began its downward momentum towards the water.

**Splash!**

I heard the sound of the water even from inside the cockpit. Almost immediately small leaks began to spring, filling the cockpit slowly as it drifted closer to the shallow bottom of water.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit! Can I swim? Now is not the time to find out and be wrong!" there was a muffled **thud** as the hunk of metal hit the bottom of the sand. I realized the water had already made it past my shoes; this caused me to begin panicking, if I hadn't already. Looking at the remaining monitor once more I saw nothing but a dark blue backdrop.

_Great! Now what? I can either A: sit here and drown/suffocate or B: open the hatch and swim out… All the while determining whether or not I can swim and avoiding anything else in the water… Like sharks… And bigger sharks… Or anything with teeth really._

I realized this fear was irrational, considering the likelihood of there being a shark nearby was rather slim. And even if there was one nearby the likelihood of it coming anywhere near me **and **taking a bite out of me were slimmer still… But that didn't stop me from being paranoid.

The water was now about at my knees, meaning I was running out of time.

"Fuck this! Who am I kidding? Out there can't be any worse than in here" I screamed in anger as I pressed the seat release button. The seat did not open fully or smoothly as it would ordinarily, instead it opened about 6 inches, the pressure inside proving to be too different from the outside, causing the back panel to halt.

However the water did not have a single problem making it inside despite this; it took a little under 3 seconds for the cockpit to fill up. Luckily for me I kept enough coherency to take a deep breath before the last of my air escaped. Every sound I made echoed deeply as I struggled to keep my eyes open in the salt water. Pushing myself upwards I place my hands against the seat and applied as much force as I could upwards. The metal moved about another 4 inches. Steadying myself, I gave another heroic push, allowing me to just barely slip between the gap and struggle towards the surface. The entire time I was surrounded by water I couldn't help but repeat the same word over and over in my mind.

_Shark, shark, shark, shark shark shark sharkshark__**shark!**_

Luckily my thoughts were broken up as I reached the surface. At first I panicked for I couldn't see the land, and then realized I was facing the open ocean… Not the docks. Turning 180° I began swimming towards the dock in a panicked frenzy. I managed to reach a support beam of the wooden structure uneaten. Pulling myself up onto it using the planks nailed to the sides I peered over the edge and was met with an interesting sight.

Various members of the Seekers were in partial states of undress and panic, apparently preparing to dive into the water in search of me, Kallen among them. With a wet slap I threw my arm over the edge and hauled the rest of my body over the planks. Everyone noticed me immediately, however nobody said anything. Getting to my feet shakily I slowly waltzed over to Kallen and poked my finger at her chest.

"You. Didn't. Tell. Me. About. The. Ejection. Seat." I said in clipped phrases through closed teeth. I wasn't even half as angry as I sounded, but it was interesting to see everyone's reaction, especially Kallen's.

"I-I-I didn't t-think-" I cut her off by arcing my hand outwards sharply.

"You didn't think I'd pull the levers? Well here's news for you, since I wasn't told where it was obviously I'm going to poke around to find out the controls to a machine that **someone **was supposed to be teaching me!"

Kallen looked at the ground ashamedly, some of the others shifted uncomfortably.

"This requires severe punishment!" I yelled as I got even closer. "Push…" Was all I said as I used both my arms to nudge her off the dock. Her scream was high-pitched, but it didn't last long for it was soon cut off by a satisfying

**Splash!**

I began to laugh hysterically as she resurfaced shaking her hair angrily as it clung to her face and body. Leaning over the edge of the dock I crouched down slightly, my clothes dripping out water at a constant rate still.

"Now we're even!" Several of the Seekers broke out into laughter equal to my own. Watching Kallen swear angrily as she rose to the surface and pulled herself out of the water, I couldn't help but hear Ohgi who was standing right next to me.

"I'm starting to think that you really are the invincible Cypher… Or do you prefer Lelouch since you've shown us your face." Donning a broad smile I turned to him.

"When the mask is on, it's Cypher… But when it's off it's just Lelouch." Ohgi looked out towards the ocean with an expression of nostalgia.

"Our old leader had a similar outlook on things. Things got serious when he meant business, but when it was just peaceful like this he was like a brother to me."

I watched Kallen walk away while glaring at the ground angrily. I walked up to Ohgi shortly afterwards and slapped him on the shoulder leaving a small wet smear behind on his brown jacket.

"Well, we're in this together, might as well enjoy each other's company." Ohgi gave a friendly nod in acceptance. Looking around I noticed nobody was panic stricken any longer. "Okay people! Pack up! Time to move into our new place of residence!" I said excitedly as I motioned for everyone to follow.

**Old Refinery, AKA, Seekers headquarters.**

Moving the nightmares along the scarcely-populated areas of the docks was easy enough… Or at least it was due to the fact it was pitch black. I was fully prepared to Geass and/or kill someone to keep our cover, however that proved unnecessary. Regardless, it didn't help my position any when my clothes began to chafe due to dampness. Despite the fact that the trip proved to be uneventful, it was still nerve-racking. So much to the point that everyone, myself included, gave a sigh of relief once I declared we had reached our destination.

Words and expressions of shock and surprise were abundant shortly after we passed through the front gate. Obviously nobody expected me to be able to acquire such a large building. Everyone already seemed to be impressed… And I had yet to show them the two underground floors. I stood outside of the huge role up gate to main loading dock and removed the lock.

"All right people! Is not alot to look at on the inside, in fact were going to have to clear almost the entire first floor. But the bottom two floors are just about clear as it stands. Despite that were going to need to repair the elevator if we want to get the Knightmares down there."

"Elevator? Multiple floors? Jesus dude where did you get this place?" I smirked slightly and began lifting enormous gate.

"I seize assets only from rather gullible noblemen. You can trust that it's mostly untraceable unless you went through the man himself, but he won't tell anyone… If he knows what's good for him."

The door rolled up all the way and presented to everyone the contents of the first floor. Almost immediately supplies and nightmares were brought inside. Everyone moved around helter-skelter as they emphatically inspected the contents of our new headquarters. I simply leaned against the wall and watched while smiling.

_Good to know that morale is up. But that could change quickly if we don't find way to fight off Britannia on even ground… As it stands now we don't have the forces to pull off anything other than guerrilla warfare or more basic hit-and-run tactics._

My thoughts were interrupted by Kallen; she had changed into her Ashford uniform and was walking up to me slowly. When she was a few feet away from me she stopped and looked at our comrades.

"This is amazing…" She started. "With this, will have a place to keep all for supplies, not to mention if we acquire more transports we'd be able to move Knightmares around more freely." I nodded in agreement.

"True, however were going to need more Knightmares in general if we're going to stand a chance against Britannia. And not just that, we're going to need food, weapons, medical supplies, and if we have the resources I hope supply some of the people in the ghettos with a means to support themselves."

"I don't think we'll have the resources to do all of that." I scratched my chin thoughtfully.

"Not yet… But we will soon, I will see to that personally." She sighed slightly and looked at me straight in the eyes.

"You're not overdoing things are you? You can tell me if what happened earlier took a lot out of you." I smiled sideways and struggled not to snicker.

"Well I'll admit, it scared the living hell out of me… Mostly the part where I had to go through the water. But none of that would've happened if you have just stated in the cockpit with me long enough to tell me **all **of the controls."

"Hey! I was justified!" she shot back defiantly. I scratch the back of my head slightly and decided to give her this one.

"Fine, fine… it was my fault. From now on I'll strive to stay out of the way of your enormous boobies…" I couldn't help but break out into a full smile as I cringed back slightly waiting for some sort of repercussion… There was none.

"Is there a reason you openly flirt with me?" that comment alone made me want to face palm.

"Uhhh… I'm a guy aren't I? I see something I like I'm gonna go for it. Not to mention your personality is not so bad, once you get past the physical abuse." I turned away from her abruptly.

"Ladies! Gentlemen!... Tamaki… I'm afraid I have business to take care of elsewhere, in the meantime I'll expect this first floor cleared by late tomorrow at the worst." I surveyed the reactions of my subordinates.

"We'll get to work on the elevator soon as well, the faster we can have access to the lower levels, the sooner we can move more knightmares into this base." There are several nods of approval and a dozen verbal confirmations. Before leaving I turned to Kallen and said.

"We'll talk later, but until then, see ya!"

"Wait, where are you going?." she said while reaching out towards me. "I can still teach you how to pilot if you want…" she then looked at the ground slightly, apparently finding her shoes more interesting than a moment ago. "A-assuming you're on your best behavior of course." I couldn't stop myself from smiling genuinely.

"I would love to really, but unlike you I don't have a spare change of clothes…" Her gaze drifted further down once I said that. "But don't worry, we will pick up tomorrow where we left off."

I then turned and walked away, leaving no time for a response.

***Ashford Academy.***

When I returned to my dorm I once again found CC lounging on my bed, this time however she had with her a box of pizza. But the pizza was the least of my concerns.

"I need to get changed… Get out." I stated flatly. But as usual she stoically ignored me. Growling lightly I removed my jacket and placed it on the revolving chair.

"I'm beginning to think you just don't understand how much you piss me off when you don't respond." I said darkly.

"Doesn't matter to me." she stated plainly.

_Fuck it. _I thought finally, deciding to simply get dressed there and then. While I was in the process of exchanging the contents of my pockets I had an idea.

Reaching into my desk drawer I extracted a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. I then proceeded to light my cigarette.

"That's a nasty habit you know." I shrugged and inhaled deeply, blowing the smoke towards her shortly afterward. She wrinkled her nose in displeasure, but otherwise continued eating. Although my antics bothered her, they were nowhere close to forcing her to leave, so I did the next best thing. I walked out, intending to go for a walk to clear my thoughts and plan for the future.

I walked through the halls leaving a trail of smoke behind me as I made my way. I passed by the student Council room and noticed a dull glow coming from the bottom of the door.

_Strange, nobody should be here at this time of day… err, night. _Stepping lightly I opened the door as quietly as possible only to find none other than Nina sitting at her usual computer, the screen illuminating her features as well as her immediate surroundings. But what was on the screen was the most interesting sight yet.

There, blatantly on the monitor is an image of me as Cypher 01, standing in the middle of the street, my arm posed outward dramatically.

_Is she doing research on me? _I thought quizzically as I put out my cigarette on the ground in order to edge closer. Upon closer examination over her shoulder I noticed she was furiously typing into a text box of some sort. After reading a few lines it was obvious that she was giving an analytical point of view to Cypher 01's actions. Not a single word present said anything negative, which surprised me, but then again it was understandable that she would have some biased due to the fact that I personally saved her.

"So you support Cypher 01?" I say right next to her ear, causing her to jump up in her seat and gasp sharply. The plethora of stuttered responses she exuded began to annoy me.

"Hey relax, it's your opinion, in fact I agree with you." I said in hopes of calming her down some.

"R-really?" She meekly stuttered.

"Yeah, we Britannians don't do a very good job at doing what's right. Luckily we have someone here that's willing to kick us in the ass and push us in the right direction."

"T- that's one way of putting it." I smirked lightly.

"I tend to have a unique way of wording things." Once again I looked at the window and saw how dark it was outside. "Is there a reason you're here so late? Milly's not making you work late or something is she?"

"Oh n-no that's not it at all, I just got caught up in some things I was doing." I nodded and stood straight, readying myself for my departure. But a stray thought prevented me from leaving right away.

"Nina, if you get the chance, could you be so kind as to save all the news and data you see of Cypher 01, I don't always have the time to look into it myself."

"Sure, I-I can do that." I waved goodbye and walked out the door intending to finish my walk uninterrupted.

_I'm going to have to come up with my next move against Britannia soon, we still don't have the forces to go on the offensive… at least not out right. That means our next objective is to acquire better materials._

I sighed heavily and lit another cigarette.

_Stealing anything else from the Britannians could prove difficult- I've essentially forced them to amp up their security several times over._

I inhaled deeply as another thought occurred to me.

_If I could just Geass Euphemia… I would have free reign amongst Area 11, getting supplies, food, Knightmares, anything… would become trivial._

I exited the student Council building into the cool night-time air.

_All I have to do now is figure out a way to come in contact with her… I wonder what I should make her do once I have her under my control?_

I leaned against one of the supports to the building and flicked off the burning end of my cigarette. Smiling sadistically I said out loud.

"Whatever I want…"

**To be continued…**


	25. Geass: Upgrades and escapades

Audacity chapter 25.

Had some problems with the order of my chapters, I just got through fixing it so it should be ok.

*I guarantee you people I'm back and with a vengeance, I'm doing my damnedest to keep up with my writing and so far it's turning out all right. I just recently noticed that has disabled the ability for anyone to post links on the profile page… Because that totally makes sense. If this weren't the case I would post chapters 2 and 3 of the audio book version of this. Whatever, if this site ever decides to return the public's ability to post links than you can count on seeing them.*

**Response to review by: XT3**. Shirley's return will be quite eventful, this I guarantee you, so go ahead and speculate all you want. However, I guarantee you one thing: I'm going to absolutely surprise everyone with what happens.

**Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin**. Cypher's relationship with his allies is going to be significantly less formal than with Lelouch's and the Black Knights. So you can expect incidents like this quite frequently. As to the matter of grammatical errors and missing words, you can attribute that to the fact that I failed to edit that chapter before posting. I did have my wonderful beta patch it up though.

**Response to reviews by: Anon and Atrile. **Gentlemen, I feel the need to inform you that 'The closer you get to the light, the greater your darkness becomes.' Expect it, anticipate it's gleefully if you will, for there will be much light and everything that follows.

**Response to review by: LEGENDRY. **With my characters heavy ambitions, I can't imagine Euphemia getting much of anything done. At least not along the lines of anything productive. So you can genuinely expect him to grasp for power in every way possible. Whether it be getting his own, or removing another's.

When it comes to Gray Jack, I will say is his powers and limitations are as numerous as his odd personality quirks. If you would take notice you will see that he follows the belief of lack of proof is not proof of lacking, he thoroughly understands that person perceives a reality based upon information they have. And as long as he can feed someone the proper information, even if it's wrong he can force someone to believe it. As to what it may or may not be… I can say nothing more.

I will say this though, there is an unyieldingly deep and dark reason behind his existence as well as his motives.

**Super-duper awesome sauce line break.**

_God dammit I'm dreaming again…_ I thought angrily as I surveyed my surroundings, or lack thereof. I could see my body just fine as well as anything on my person, my Ashford uniform included, however anything outside of that was absolutely pitch black. Not a single object was visible, however it was comforting that I could feel the floor despite the fact it was smooth and featureless. I decided searching wasn't going to get me anywhere so I simply sat down and crossed my legs, determined to wait it out until I woke up. This however, proved to be rather annoying after about an hour. It finally got to the point where I became impatient and yelled out.

"All right! Dammit what's the point of this!" there was an echo, long and hollow. At least by this I could determine there was a ceiling. I clenched my fist and teeth several times in further frustration.

"I see you at least have some patience." Interjected a smooth angelic voice to my left, I flinched inwardly and snapped my vision to where the sound had come from. Just about anything failed to surprise me at this point, I was used to the crazy bull shit… However what I saw was interesting. A female being wearing archaic white robes with bleach blonde hair well past her shoulders stood before me, her womanly features stood out in the darkness… Then again so did anything.

"Sup?" I question calmly, although on the inside I was in a bit of turmoil trying to figure out whether or not she was a threat. I then reminded myself that it was a dream and cast those thoughts away.

"You can be articulate when you want to, but I see now is not one of those times." I narrowed my eyes slightly. Aside from her mouth she had yet to change posture at all, she'd yet to move an inch in any direction as far as I was concerned. That meant she was comfortable, she felt secure- apparently I wasn't a threat.

"Are you here to the nag me for my vulgarity, or you can explain what the hell's going on?" her face scrunched up slightly from what appeared to be disapproval.

"You really are a strange one, to demand answers when you have nothing to offer." I stood and raised myself to my full height and bearing try to look as imposing as possible.

"Look lady, I got no idea what the hell is happening and you don't even have the common decency to say hey guess what we are at so and so's place, that's why you can't see anything… But no! Instead you want to nag me like a housewife and tell me I have nothing to offer as well is insult the fact that I'm not articulate to your liking." I paused for breath. "Frankly, you're starting to piss me off." I said darkly. The woman pinched the bridge of her nose lightly and mumbled something about being forced to work with me, as well as how vulgar and disgusting humans were. But shortly afterwards she regained her composure.

"I'm here to help you, as to why you're deserving of help in the first place… That's not my place to say, regardless. I see you've sold your soul, although for only a limited amount of time and under very specific conditions." I nodded and crossed my arms in confirmation.

"The only being left that can still pull that off would be Gray Jack. I assume he is your caster?" I didn't answer her question immediately instead my thoughts were in a flurry of confusion.

_Caster? Only being left? What the fuck is going on._

"Okay lady, I am really really really confused right now, so pardon me if I'm not on key with you. I need a little bit of explaining if I'm going to have a whole conversation right now."

The woman breathed deeply and exhaled slowly, almost as if she couldn't stand me being around her, but otherwise she nodded and began speaking softly.

"From what I've been told, Gray Jack as taken you away from where you rightfully belong and inserted you elsewhere, the Lord in all his divine glory has decided that you are worthy of assistance. Which mind you is incredibly strained right now so you should indeed be very grateful." I put both my hands up signifying for her to stop.

"I'm sorry, did you say **the lord** as in **God**?" Her eyes widened sudden and she began to reprimand me.

"Thou shalt not say the Lord's name but in praise human!" She said quickly with a hint of anger. I couldn't help myself, I straight up began laughing. Full out. Unrestrained. Laughing. "What is so funny human?" She demanded.

"You're an angel! I call bullshit! Angels are supposed be nice, tell God that I request nicer assistance… One with bigger jugs if he can." I said sarcastically motioning towards my chest. What was the worst could happen? She could kill me, yes. But then Gray Jack would just collect my soul, so it wasn't really an issue. The Angels face became beet red as she clenched her fists forcing her knuckles to turn white despite her already fair complexion.

"Of all the brazen audacity!-" I cut her off.

"That's it! That's just it! I am already fucked! So why bother helping? If you wanted to do something you should've done it before this happened, because according to what I've heard God is supposed to be all-powerful… Good job catching this one with your all-powerfulness." I then returned to my seated position chuckling darkly.

"Look lady, unless you can kill Gray Jack, or at least get him restrained permanently, then there is no way we can work anything out. Not to mention as you previously stated, I have nothing to offer you." I paused briefly to think while fondling my chin. "And on top of all that, I'm a terrible person! Why would you even waste your time with me? All in all this seems more like a trap that an opportunity to gain anything."

Her gaze was cast downwards; her voice was softer than earlier, her tone was almost somber.

"You are only helpless… You are only beyond saving… Because you allow yourself to be. Such is the fate of beings of your nature." She said cryptically. This caused me to arch an eyebrow but otherwise I said nothing. "Our time here grows short. I will guard your memories of our contact from that monstrosity… But in the future I expect you to be better behaved."

I smoothed out my features and stared at her blankly.

_I have no way of telling whether or not this is a trap of some sort… Hell, it's possible Gray Jack is doing this just to mind fuck me… If not, this gives me some valuable information to trade, assuming this really is an opposing force to him._

The illusion of my dream began to waver and my vision of the woman began to fade.

My eyes opened looking at the same thing I had fallen asleep to, the ceiling. I turned to my right and saw a lump of blankets with dozens of green strands poking out. I rolled my eyes irritated; CC had snuck into my bed. However this was the first time she had done it while I was in it.

_I suppose if I want to stop her from doing this in the future, I should develop some form of deterrence. _I smiled wickedly. _Engage pervert mode!_ I thought while barely restraining mischievous giggles. Reaching over with my left hand I pulled off the thin blanket to see her once again scantily clad in one of my button up shirts and a pair of underwear. She was facing me, her body was scrunched up, almost in the fetal position. I had to admit, she was rather cute when she was sleeping. Then again I knew once she wakes up, that would change.

I poked to the squishy flesh of her left breast and felt the emphatically wonderful feeling of… Nothing within me.

"Nah… Not feeling it." I said losing interest. _Well at least that determined I'm not physically attracted to her. _I thought blankly as I extracted myself from the blankets and quietly dressed myself in my Ashford uniform. Once dressed my mind began to wander.

_Geassing Euphemia is all well and good. And is simple enough once I make contact with her again… But that's the main issue here, just __**how **__am I going to make contact again without being shot on sight?_

I began running scenarios in my head. No matter which way I cut it, the likelihood of me coming into contact with her without her wanting me to would be nigh on impossible… At least without force.

_That's it! I could fake my surrender… Then again that would make me look bad in the eyes of the public, especially if I killed her afterwards. Dammit!_

I began walking towards the kitchen to eat breakfast with Nunnally.

_Euphemia could be the least of my problems, at least logically speaking… She was the sub Viceroy before becoming Viceroy, this insinuates that she wasn't prepared or qualified for the job before I killed Cornelia. So I suppose it's all possible they would send someone else… Someone who is ruthless and less forgiving._

I sat at the dining table, I could hear noises in the kitchen but there was no one at the table.

_So putting her under my Geass could prove to be rather pointless if she's not the one in charge, although it could possibly be used as a gateway. But for now I should focus on gathering support from the Japanese. Someone had to of been funding the terrorists as well as the liberation front._

I couldn't stop the sigh that escaped me. Leaning my head's weight on my arm I stared out the window, lost in thought.

_I should probably consult Ohgi, he would probably know who supported the other terrorists. _My mind ran a quick circle as I realized something. _Then again, it's very possible that terrorists were funded from the inside or at least someone with heavy ties with Britannia. Because there's no way they could have gotten a hold of a knightmare without external financial assistance._

My frown deepened as I realize what that could mean.

_Then it's very possible this organization, if it's only one, will come to me and not the other way around… But if they do this they're liable to try and take control. Or at least that's what I would do if I was some super shady resistance group benefactor._

"What's wrong Lelouch?" Said Nunnally from over on my right. I jumped slightly in response and looked at her with a bit of shock. "You've been staring out the window looking kind of grumpy for the past five minutes."

A guilty smirk adorned by features.

"Just thinking… About stuff… And things." I found it adorable with the way she looked at everything such a determined intensity, it seemed as if every time she viewed something, she understood how it was… not just what it looked like.

"Well that doesn't tell me much of anything now does it?" She said while holding her hand over her giggling mouth. I smiled genuinely and stretched both of my arms, unable to suppress a yawn.

"Ah… but who else other than Cypher himself could be so nondescript?" her calm features halted slightly.

"So you are Cypher… If so, why did you kill brother Clovis, and Cornelia?" My expression hardened as I prepared an explanation.

"Clovis is easy to explain, the power of my Geass, came from CC. Clovis was doing inhumane experimentation on her in an attempt to pilfer her powers and use them for his own selfish purposes." It looked as if she was about to say something, but I held my hand and stopped her.

"And that's not the worst part, he was willing to 'liquidate' and by that I mean inflict genocide upon all of Shinjuku just cover up his experiments once they were stolen from him and taken there." I explained with a cold tone.

"T-then what about Cornelia?" My expression became stoic.

"She was the enemy; she was willing to duplicate the exact same circumstances in Saitama just to draw me out." If it wasn't before, Nunnally's expression changed to one of shock.

"No… She wouldn't do that. Cornelia is strong-"

"Was strong." I corrected.

"That doesn't matter!" She surprised me by raising her voice, not that it was that loud. "You killed her along with the men she fought with…" I surveyed her dismayed figure, she looked like she wanted to withdraw into herself, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Do you hate me?" I asked simply. She stopped her near sobbing posture and seized up for a moment as if confused.

"No… Of course not… I just don't agree with the way you've done things." I arched an eyebrow.

"Well, that's a matter of opinion now isn't it? You must realize that you can't change the world with just kindness alone… You need force, force and the ability to apply it where need when needed." I said while holding back a smirk. She pondered what I said for a moment, seeming at odds with herself, until finally she said two words that I myself could never know to be more true.

"You've changed." The simplicity of the statement almost rocked me, to think that I had caused a little girl, a crippled one of that, so much distress, so much unnecessary heartache.

I really was starting to hate myself, but I couldn't give up now.

"That may be, but I'm not going to stop. Giving up now would only insult those who've already died." She clenched both small fists in frustration, until finally sheleveled with me.

"Please, promise me you won't hurt Euphie…" I considered it for a moment; ultimately I decided leaving her alive was something I could easily accomplish.

"I can't promise you I won't hurt her, but I won't kill her if that's what you want." For some reason, an unbridled feeling of anger washed over me. On some sort of base level I couldn't help but feel like I was doing something seriously wrong. Almost as if the fiber of my being is rejecting the reality I had created and decisions I had made.

My musings were interrupted by Sayoko, who had just entered with breakfast stating.

"Breakfast is ready now." I nodded to her, thankful for the change in conversation.

"Actually, I'm not hungry Sayoko I'll be heading out ahead of time." Nunnally said clearly depressed. All Sayoko could muster was a blank stare of confusion while bowing politely and saying goodbye.

I opted to eat breakfast in silence; I barely even tasted the food, regardless of what it may or may not have been. In fact, the only reason I even indulged in the first place was because my body required it.

Stressful conversations aside, I still seriously needed a way to contact Euphemia… I needed to arrange a face-to-face meeting of some sort, preferably one with a moderate level privacy. The way I saw it I had three main ways of going about this.

One. I could try to use force to get myself close and get the command across, but obviously that had its own inherent dangers and complications and required just as much information gathering does any of the other options I had available.

Two. I could try to sneak into the consulate again, despite how difficult that will be. After making inside it would be near trifling matter to Geass an escort to her private quarters where I could simply wait until I had an opportunity to use my power. I didn't even necessarily need to go to her quarters I could have whomever I Geassed take me directly to Euphemia. I was starting to like that option the more I thought about it.

Three. I could make a public announcement regarding my desire to surrender or what have you, possibly a plea to cooperate or something of the like. This had a high potential given Euphemia's expressed personality. It was no more dangerous than the stunts I had already pulled… But then again tricks like that can only work so many times.

_There's also another serious issue I've overlooked. Obviously she's been given the position of Viceroy, therefore I'm sure there are some duties and obligations that of which you must upkeep. Fight in the way of them with my demands for materials and freedom to move about, and she could get replaced. Sooner than later if it's inevitable._

The research I had done on the Imperial family was minimal regarding individuals, save for the Emperor himself. I was familiar with their promotional system as well as their state of government: typically anyone who proved to be too weak for their position would be either removed or killed. Usually replaced by someone that the Emperor himself deemed strong enough to hold the position.

_I could always appeal to the emperor after I Geass Euphemia and take over its materials. I can't imagine him denying my request to become Viceroy if I've shown I have what it takes to hold this area by the balls right under the nose of everyone. _I frowned deeply. This thought was by far the most complex in it's order of operations. Logically speaking it will be rather simple to appeal to the Emperor in that sort of way, considering the fact that he himself was the maker of the phrase and belief 'Might makes right'.

_Worst-case scenario I end up controlling this country from the shadows as planned, at least until I build up enough military strength to confront Britannia. It's doubtful of the Chinese Federation or the EU would come to my assistance until I prove that I can beat Britannia down with one hand and offer them piece in the other._

I groaned audibly and grit my teeth and frustration.

_This is all one cluster fuck of crazy bull shit, one slight misinformation in any way could cause this to go careening in the total opposite direction than I want it to._

Grabbing two fistfuls of my own hair I applied pressure to my ears until the entire world was but a mute hum in the background. I strained my mental capacity, applied scenarios, variables, known personalities. Anything I thought could prove a factor in my ability to get close to Euphemia. I pushed the thought to the brink of insanity running in circles in on itself, compiling seemingly useless data into a coherent thought that provided a base to build upon.

And then finally.

"Option three it is then, I'll use two as Plan B, and one as plan C."

I pushed the chair away from the table and stood, I still had to collect my mask and hopefully the Beretta from Outlooks.

_Douglas should have it finished by now. _I thought as I made my way outside towards the outskirts of the campus.

I decided to walk this time, for it would give me more time to think. I lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply to calm myself, it took the edge off things but it didn't erase my worries completely. To a point I now understood why people took drugs to wash away their worries. Alcohol I had yet to try, but I wasn't in any particular hurry. As I had predicted a long walk gave me plenty of time to think or otherwise let my mind wander.

_I wonder what I can get out of Jack with this new information, it's quite possible he's listening to these exact thoughts and the thoughts that were- Wait stop thinking about it! You might ruin it!_

I found it very difficult to cut a thought in half and simply drop it like that, but for the sake of my personal gain I did it anyway.

_However this is rather valuable information… should I recollect the years on my soul that I've given up? Perhaps I could go for another augmentation… maybe even another power, assuming he has that capability._

I snorted at the absurdity of my thoughts and took another drag of the cigarette.

_Come to think of it, he's been incredibly wishy-washy with explaining how he does certain things… Hell I should say everything; he has yet to explain a single damn thing at least along the lines of how he's doing it._

I paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the signal to turn red so I could cross.

_I guess I won't know until I confront him about it._

I pushed those thoughts aside for later as I continued walking peacefully.

***Outlooks***

Once I had arrived at the nondescript business in the lesser part of town I walked right in as if I owned the place. Douglas was behind the counter as he had been last time; he was checking things off on a piece of paper with a clipboard underneath. As soon as he saw me the red rims on his eyes lit up.

"Ahh, Mr. Lamperouge. The material as you have requested and have under your name have arrived."

"Excellent, let me see them." I said while walking up to the counter and placing my arm on it to support myself.

The first thing Douglas introduced to me was an ordinary lockbox for a handgun. He opened it up and presented to me my Beretta 92 G Elite. I noticed six spare magazines embedded into the foam to the right of the actual firearm itself, plus the magazine already within the firearm. I also noticed that every magazine was loaded with full metal jacketed rounds, I couldn't help but idly wonder as to why he had chosen those in particular.

However my thoughts were quickly interrupted once he presented the ceramic masterpiece I had come to call my mask.

The mask appeared to be no different than it had been the first time I laid eyes on it. Sadistically smiling skull with sharpened teeth and a dull eggshell color for a background. However something new presented itself to me as I turned the mask around to put it on. The first thing I noticed was that it was slightly heavier; the second thing was purely visual. On the inside as I looked through the eyes, everything appeared slightly tinted, not to the point of sunglasses however it was noticeable.

I pulled the mask off slightly to inspect it further. I noticed a dark blue button on the right side of the chin piece; it was facing me once I put the mask on and had a slight impression in the middle. So logically I did what everyone does when presented with a strange button… I pressed it. There was a quick and sharp.

_SHCK._

Sound as I realized both eyes had retracted their tinted lenses and resumed the way it had been before it had been upgraded. I pressed the button once more only to have the exact same result but in reverse.

Satisfied, I said farewell to Douglas with my new supplies in hand. I hid my mask in the front part of my waistband, as for the case I simply carried it. It's not like it was too heavy or anything like that.

_The only problem is I don't quite have the space for this thing, I already have the Glock and model 36… I would consider giving it to CC had she not already stolen one of my firearms._

I pondered the situation as I began walking towards my newly christened headquarters.

_I don't want it to just collect dust… I could always give it to Kallen. Then again she did say she already had a firearm. It doesn't matter I'll just give the order and have her carry it around all the time. I can't have her being unarmed if something ever happens and she's on her own._

***Seekers headquarters***

This time when I walked in like I owned the place, I could honestly say I **did** in fact own the place. It brought a smile to my face when I saw the first floor. The entirety of the first floor was now completely empty save for the several Knightmares and pallets of supplies. All the rusted pipes and pieces of metal had been removed; there were still holes in the floor from where things had obviously been bolted down in the past, but I wasn't concerned about that.

I noticed there were only five or six people other than myself within the warehouse. Nobody noticed I had entered which I immediately frowned upon. The cause in the lapse of security was fully apparent once I got closer to the cluster of people around the elevator. I could hear Tamaki complaining loudly, his voice echoing due to the hollowness of the machine. However I could not see him physically, which led me to assume he was working above the elevator near the cables.

"I said I need a crescent wrench! Arggh! If I'm gonna fix this elevator I'm in a need the right tools and I don't need to give Cypher another reason to bitch at me!" I smirked slightly at Tamaki's antics.

"Don't worry, I'll still find something to bitch at you about!" I yelled to him, startling everyone. There was a loud clang from the sound of tools being dropped. Four the men whose name I did not know explicitly gave me a formal greeting. The others I recognized, one of which was Oghi himself.

_Good, I expected to find him here._

"Ohgi, do you know where Kallen is?" Oghi blinked twice but quickly regained his senses and replied.

"S-she's at school right now. I told her to go unless something was happening." I quirked an eyebrow at the statement.

"So you're the one who makes her go to school?" A look of apprehension was quickly donned by Ohgi.

"I wanted her to have a normal life as much as possible, her late brother did as well. Look if it's a matter of her ability to fight with us-" I cut him off in an attempt to stymie his worries.

"No, I agree with you, she should get a proper education and what have you. It's good for her. I was just checking to see where she was, and now that I'm here, I guess I should see how things are going as well." Oghi looked dumbfounded for a moment; but shortly after his expression was replaced with that of determination.

"We finished cleaning off the first floor, now working in getting the elevator working so we can hide the supplies better."

I crossed my arms and nodded pleasantly. I noticed Tamaki had poked his head out of the service opening at the top of the elevator.

"Good, good… does anyone care to explain to me as to how I simply walked in here and nobody noticed?" I paused to gauge their reactions. "I mean damn! The door was unlocked of all things. For all you guys could've known I could've been a Britannian raid."

"I'm sorry, I will work on a security detail as soon as possible."

I nodded once more.

"It doesn't need to be anything too fancy, just lock all the major entrances have at least one person keep a lookout. It's not like I'm mad or anything… shit happens."

Looks of relief were abundant amongst the men.

"Is anything I should know?" I asked hoping there was nothing. As it turns out just that much was true. Nothing required my attention. Not yet at least. I then bid my allies farewell and set off in search of Kallen once more.

_She's gonna carry this damn thing even if it kills me._

I thought with an air of determination.

**To be continued… even if it kills me…**


	26. Geass: To hold power

Audacity chapter 26.

*I would say I'm sorry for the delay, but then again I did warn you bastards. Aside from that I can be faulted time wise due to the fact that I have had this chapter mostly mapped out in my head for the past few days… But then I would immediately blame it on mass effect three and it's incredibly time-consuming campaign. Also, under incredibly annoying side note, I noticed that this website has disabled my ability to post links on my own profile for things… Not just me everyone, I have but one question about that: WHAT THE HELL? Not that many reviews to respond to this time so screw you guys I'm moving on.*

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><p><strong>Response to review by: LEGENDRY. <strong>To everything you surmised and pointed out with the Angel and gray Jack in your most recent review, I am unable to respond in full force, simply due to the fact that I would either incriminate myself, or reveal plot essential information for future chapters.

As to Schneizel picking up on the gaps in memory of the soldiers… Just remember that in the original series he found out regardless of the fact that Lelouch was lenient with his use of Geass… Don't be surprised when he finds out sooner here.

As to the evidence of the mask showing up, I find this nigh upon impossible simply due to the fact is created by the pottery club at Ashford Academy, and that he was painted by one of the arts teachers all the while the people that work participating were under the influence of Lelouch his Geass. Any remaining materials would be rather irrelevant considering where they were at. But when it comes to his infiltration of Britannia's military that's a significantly different story. He left several gaps either which way, here and there… Some of which he's not even aware of yet…

**Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. **As always buddy, your reviews are articulate and immaculate… Well thought out and above all…. PFFFT! Who am I kidding I'm just glad you stuck with me this long!

**By the way people, remember, I absolutely adore questions. So have at thee!**

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><p><strong>Super-duper awesome sauce, incredibly distracting line break!<strong>

Finding Kallen turned out to be an absolute pain in the ass. I started out by talking to Rivalz and asking him if he had seen her in class, to which he responded with.

"Sorry buddy, she didn't show up today." His jovial voice coming over the phone made the bad news that much more irritating.

This then led me to believe that she had stayed home for some reason. My next course of action was to call Milly. I reached into my lower breast pocket and flipped open my phone, scrolling over to Milly's contact information I pressed the call button and raised the phone to my ear.

It rung once, twice, thrice, four times… Then nothing.

_That's odd; she's usually the type of person to pick up by the second ring._

I clicked the redial function and waited for the dial tones once again only to receive the same response. I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at its screen again. Slightly frustrated I began rationalizing.

_It would be simple enough to call her and find out where she is… But I want this to be a surprise. I have her address on my phone right next to her number; I could always go to her house… That's not creepy, right?_

Offhandedly while I was scrolling through my phone I noticed it had a GPS function, however I discarded any notion of using it for I was too proud to be told where to go by a piece of plastic. Using the predetermined layout of the Tokyo settlement I headed in the direction of where I determined her house to be.

After little under 30 minutes of walking I came upon a more rural area with homes obviously for the greater privileged such as nobility and the like. I didn't think it was that odd, I had been informed that she was half Britannian, so it wouldn't be that surprising if one of her parents were well-off financially, or at least socially.

_36, 37, Ah! 4238 Statfeld manner. _I found my way to the front entrance of the gated house only to find that a large wrought iron gate blocked my path. I saw no real way to get around using it, other than hopping the fence… But I decided to at least try the normal way hoping that it would not ruin the element of surprise. I rang the buzzer that was located on the cement pillar nearest the opening of the front gate. Well over 10 seconds past with no results of any kind, I briefly considered the doorbell wasn't functional but regardless I tried again. After waiting almost a full minute I became impatient and began scrutinizing the wrought iron fence in more detail.

_Oh yeah, I can jump this. _I thought as I tested the ornately carved leaf shaped tendrils that were placed between each bar in an organic fashion. I tossed the case with the Beretta to the other side cringing slightly as it hit the grass with a dull thump. Satisfied the equipment wasn't damaged I jumped up with a grunt getting a handhold on the top of the iron Spike all the while struggling to get a foothold to pull myself upwards. Struggling desperately for a bit longer I managed to clamber over to and of hover precariously over the pointed spikes on the top of the fence.

_Oh my God, if I lose a testicle to this thing I'm going to be so pissed. _I thought as I hefted one leg over to the other side, struggling with my grip I managed to force my other leg over as well clearing the danger zone for my crotch. Unfortunately, I was so concerned with relief to the point where I had forgotten to reacquire a foothold… This caused me to lose my already waning grip on the top of the spike with both my left and right hands.

"Shit- OMPHH!" I yelled as the ground rushed up to meet me between the shoulder blades and at the same time driving the air from my lungs.

_Ow… Note to self, don't fuck with gravity. _I thought somewhat amused as I sat upright and pushed myself into a standing position. Brushing myself off I retrieved the case and walked up to the front door calmly, trying my best not to admire the seemingly over exaggerated grandeur of the home.

_So much fancy stuff… I swear this place would drive me insane with all this white trim and golden corner pieces. If there were up to me I pull this crap out and replace it- _My thoughts were cut short with the sound of muffled yelling coming from within the house.

"How could you do something like this! Do you even know where she went! Or if she had a place to go to!" I recognized the voice as belonging to Kallen.

"How should I know where the whore-ish monkey ran off to? You should be glad I didn't have her arrested! In fact if your father were here he would've done just that!" Quipped the snobbish sounding voice of who I assumed was Kallen's mother.

"Don't act like you were doing her a favor!" Kallen retorted.

"I never! Maybe I should do you a favor by correcting that insolent attitude of yours!"

_Okay, that's it, I've had enough of this bitch. _I thought as I removed my contact lens and returned it to its box. I reached for the door handle only to find it locked. _Plan B then! _I thought irrationally, letting the moment get the best of me.

I took half a step back and reared my left foot upwards only to bring it down fiercely next to the doorknob. With a satisfying **SNAP!** I kicked the door from its bronze latch causing it to slam into the other side of the wall revealing what appeared to be an old-style guest reception room. At the top of the double stairs above I could clearly see Kallen dressed in casual clothing consisting of a red tube top, blue jeans, and a denim jacket.

Across from her was a woman in her early 40s to late 30s what appeared to be a formal dress, her hair was tied up behind her head in an elaborate bun.

Both of them were absolutely dumbfounded to the situation unfolding before them.

"All right lady, I don't break down doors for no particular reason! (LIE) And from the sound of it you've done something to Kallen that she disapproves of… Time to fix that!"

"Just who do yo-" Began Kallen's mother, clearly unhappy with my method of unlocking doors.

"Lelouch! What the hell!" Yelled Kallen with a tone that could've been either outrage or a combination of relief and surprise.

"I swung by school to drop off a gift for you only to find that you weren't there. And before that I even stopped by HQ. Obviously I didn't find you at either of these places, so your house was my next guess." I began explaining.

"You know, I rang the doorbell like an ordinary person, however you failed to answer it… So I did the next best thing… I jumped the fence." I shifted my stance and crossed my arms. "Which by the way you should really get rid of the pointy steel spike things they are really uncomfortable."

I then began walking in a pacing fashion back and forth between the two sets of stairs.

"Then I walk up to your actual door and I hear this bitch yelling at you like some God damn harpy!"

The woman's flinch was clearly visible followed by.

"If you don't get out of my house right now I'm going to call the police!" The manner in which she spoke clearly signified that she was used to people doing everything she demanded of them… I would have none of that with me.

"I suggest you shut up before I decide to shove my shoe down your throat… With my foot still in it!" I directed towards her while being sure not to make eye contact.

I'm not sure what it was, but something about this woman just rubbed me the wrong way. And by rubbed I mean graded against like a cheese grater against a rock.

"What are you doing here?" Kallen finally leveled with. I looked directly at her knowing full well that my Geass would have no effect on her anymore.

"I brought you a gift… It's something that you need and might appreciate." I motioned towards her mother and then my left eye. "If you want I can fix your parental problems with just a few well-placed words, sound good you?"

A look of realization crossed Kallen, obviously she hadn't thought of that until I mentioned it.

"You would do that for me?" I smiled widely.

"It's not like I lose anything when I use it." I shifted my line of sight to Kallen's mother, allowing her to gaze upon my Geass in full despite the slight distance.

"{Obey Kallen!}" Was the simple command I used.

_Well… that's the first time I've had someone obey a person other than myself… Best not make a habit of that._

"Go on, tell her to do something." I said as began walking up the stairs two at a time.

"Umm… Go wait in your room until I tell say you can leave…" She said cautiously, clearly still worried that her command would not be followed. Shortly after her order the blonde woman bowed curtly and walked to a door down the hallway past the staircase.

"Just make sure you remember to let her out, otherwise she won't ever leave."

"Right…" she responded weakly. Almost immediately I noticed something was wrong with both her posture and her tone of voice.

"What's the matter? You seem upset." I asked bluntly. Without turning to look at me she spoke.

"I'm just having some problems right now." I blinked twice inconfusion, unable to discern anything due to how vague her response was.

"Well I just Geassed your mother… that should help things out some." Immediately after I said that her eyes snapped up to me, smoldering with a form of hate I had yet to experience.

"That Leach!" She began with fury. "Is not my mother, she's just some tramp my father was forced to marry when Japan became an area." I leaned against the railing and looked at the wall thoughtfully.

"My bad, I had no idea. Before I came in here you guys were yelling about something… is that what's wrong?"

"Speaking of that! What kind of insane bastard are you? Kicking down people's doors just because you hear yelling inside!" She yelled.

"Hey! It turned out all right. Besides you're dodging the question." Her body visibly stiffened and she began speaking softly again.

"My mother had been working here as I maid, due to her attachment to my father… She's Japanese, so that whore over there always treated her like dirt." I nodded and motioned for her to continue. "My step mother found out that she had been taking refrain… Shortly afterwards she fired my mother and sent her away."

The smooth face I had been wearing before quickly contorted to grimace as I listened.

"You should be able to fix this now that she's under your control." I stated hopefully.

"That's true, but that's not the biggest problem. Ever since she left she told no one where she was going and now I can't contact her. I'm worried she's overdosed on the drug or something."

"What does refrain do? I'm not familiar with it." I said as I took ahold of my chin and rubbed it thoughtfully.

"It's a hallucinatory drug, brings back memories of the past… Of better days. Which makes it an obvious choice for the Japanese. But it's also killing us; those who take it slowly go into a comatose state… Not to mention it's bleeding dry what little economy we have left."

"Do you resent your mother for taking the drug? It's obvious you disapprove of it, but do you condemn her for it… Do you blame her?"

Kallen was unable to form a coherent sentence, an array of emotion was displayed across her face, all of which went by to quickly to recognize.

I was all I really needed to know.

"We need to put a stop to this, but the Seekers aren't ready for a major operation." Kallen looked at me with a quizzical expression, clearly not understanding what I was getting at.

"I'll handle this personally, in the meantime continue gathering supplies and materials with the funding provided. Also I need you to have Ohgi compile a list of all his previous benefactors' from when he was in the resistance fighting in Shinjuku." I said in a no nonsense tone.

"What do you mean you will handle this personally? You can't solve this problem on your own even with that power of yours!" She said once again allowing anger to seep through her depression.

"I don't know what it is about you but you seem to think that your invincible, taking numerous injuries and risks! And on top of that you're very accident prone!"

I pushed forward jumping away from the railing and began walking down the stairs.

"Got to die sometime." I stated morbidly just as I reached the bottom steps. "Oh yeah… sorry about the door. Not quite sure why I did that." I said as I exited, leaving no room for any further complaints. Just as I began walking down the front steps of her home I felt a hand grab my wrist and stop me. I turned around to see Kallen looking flustered and upset. I tried to pull my hand back but only succeeded in pulling her closer to me.

"What?" I grumbled through my teeth, dropping the case that held the Beretta, undistracted by the noise it made as it hit the ground.

"Stop that! At least accept help! That's why you chose to lead us isn't it?" I leaned forward and locked eyes with her.

"We don't have the materials necessary to engage an enemy openly, and I'm sure the Britannians are behind this drug if only indirectly, this would be better orchestrated as stealth and infiltration Op."

"Then take some of us with you!" She practically yelled in my face. "We are eager to fight, to do something, to make a difference! I don't know why you have to go glory seeking on your own!" I tensed my shoulders and clenched my teeth trying not to overreact at her comment.

"I'm doing this because I don't want to expend our resources when they could be better directed elsewhere. Besides we can't afford any losses right now." Her grip on my wrist tightened to the point of pain.

"God! Why you have to be so difficult! It seems like you have some sort of problem with accepting help! This will be easier if-" Enough was enough for me, if I couldn't convince her with words, I would persuade her with actions.

Using her vice grip on my hand I pulled her forward until my chest collided with hers, snaking my free arm around her other side I grabbed the back of her head, tilting mine slightly I forcibly connected our lips. Immediately her body jumped in shock and seized up. The only protest was a small, cute, noise she made in the back of her throat. I took advantage of this by pushing her against the doorframe and planting both hands firmly on the wall behind her, effectively trapping her during our lip based entanglement.

Her soft texture and smooth skin was enticing, but I couldn't let that get the best of me. I had to be the one in control right now. I danced the tip of my tongue across her lips as if asking for entry, and just before any decision could be made I pulled back and locked her into an embrace. Her hands and head pressed into my chest.

"I'm not saying I won't take any help, I'm just saying you need to trust me on this one… We'll get this drug off the market; we'll get it wiped off the face of the earth if we have to. But I need you to trust me…" Breaking the embrace was a little bit awkward, so to start I whispered in her ear.

"I want you to keep the contents of that case right there with you at all times… Until next time" I said as I pulled away and began walking towards the gate. Not turning back I kept my strides long and prideful as I reached inside of the wrought iron gate.

I sighed inwardly with relief as I noticed the locking mechanism and a handle that opened from the inside. With a short metallic report the gate opened inwards and I exited the Statfeld manor.

As I walked I couldn't quite understand why I felt so shaky, so loose and rattled. I reached my hand up to my heart and pressed it against my chest… Only to find it racing faster than what I thought safe.

I pulled out my pack of cigarettes and lit one, inhaling deeply to calm myself. Despite the fact that my thoughts were in slight disarray I still had the coherency to put together the things I would need to fix Kallen's problem.

_Her mother can be found after I find the source the drug, if she's addicted to the substance I'm sure she'll be near the source… Amongst other addicts. As I surmised earlier this is more than likely due to corruption within the Britannians and their higher-ups… This means if I appeal to Euphemia I could probably get her to do something about it along with me, which would kill two birds with one stone._

I smiled wickedly.

_This fits in with things nicely… But I'm still not strong enough myself to stop this drug alone… Time to see what I can barter from Gray Jack…_

As and directed myself home, thinking of what I might want in exchange.

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><p><strong>* Ashford Academy, student Council building, private dorms.*<strong>

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><p>I entered my place of residence without incident, once I determined CC was not lounging about in my room I took a broad stance and called out.<p>

"Gray Jack!" less than ten seconds later I was blinded by a flash of light and the ever present cloying smell of friction burnt meat.

"Need something?" he asked with a voice like ground glass.

"Sort of." I replied arrogantly. "I have some serious information to trade with you, I was wondering what I could get out of it." Gray Jack rolled his eyes, which was an impressive feat for their size.

"I can almost guarantee you there's nothing you can tell me that I don't already know."

"Oh really… Then let's up the ante shall we?" he grunted in conference. "If my information proves to be something you didn't know and it's useful… You'll give me a power of my choosing…"

"Sounds fair." He said while scratching his side absentmindedly. "But on the off chance that does happen you must remember that I can't just make you magic… There are limitations to what I can and can't do especially outside of my own body." He raised his hand to add something.

"Aaaaaand if this information proves to be worthless, and you've wasted my time right now… I get another year to keep your soul. Deal?" I let the question hover wordlessly for a brief moment.

"Deal." Jack shifted into a crouching position as if preparing for something long and boring.

"Does the word 'Caster' have any meaning to you?" the moment I said the word his eyes lit up, whether it be recognition or anger I couldn't recognize, possibly both.

"Where did you hear that word… Specifically in that context."

"I had some Angel bitch come to me in my dreams… As crazy as that sounds, and tell me that God was sending assistance to me." I let the ridiculousness of the statement stand, not trying to cover up how out of my mind I sounded… Or at least felt.

Gray Jack however, his features were morbid, eyes locked into a hard thousand yard stare, all of his visible muscles clenched tight. Obviously I struck a nerve somewhere with my information.

"She wants me to work against you, but the way I see it working with you is a better idea… A double agent so to speak. But I have to ask-"

"About God?" He finished for me. "Let's just say he wasn't always the most powerful being out there… And now he's trying to tie up loose ends with the limited ability he has remaining after fighting the others who were equal or greater to him." I quirked an eyebrow at his statement.

"Don't trifle with God; he wasn't always the strongest… But by far he was and is the most cunning, most charismatic, and often times making people believe whatever he is doing is the right thing to do. I won't tell you much but I will tell you I have a quarrel with God. He wants the power I've taken from him… He wants it back." He stood and turned, shifting his gaze to out the window.

"Luckily for me with the amount of power I managed to take from him, he's just a vegetable essentially, he has to send his agents to do his work… It's been like this for the past couple thousand years. I'm just surprised he caught up with me now of all times."

"Hmmmm," I hummed thoughtfully. "I'm assuming that means as long as I keep up the illusion that I'm working with him you could find a way to somehow slip away again?"

Jack nodded absently.

"Good… But as to our agreement." He pursed his lips slightly and admitted his defeat.

"Yes, yes, honestly now you are full of surprises. This was by far the very last thing I expected to hear from you. In honor of our agreement I grantee something within my power… Name what you want."

I hadn't really thought of that too much, I still felt like I was lacking power in several sectors as it stood, I couldn't begin to fathom a power that would amplify my ability to operate by myself.

"Give me a second; I need to think about that one… I didn't think that getting something out of you would be nearly this easy."

"Consider yourself lucky, you've done me a service by bringing me this information… This allows me a lot of precious time to prepare things."

I waved him off as I began thinking about what my potential reward should be.

"Make me invincible." Jack immediately shook his head.

"In order to regenerate or completely stop damage from happening you need to pull from an energy source some sort… You only have your body to pull from so if you were invincible or at least unable to take physical damage, the power to resist and reform damage would have to come from your body… Effectively shortening your life span by an ass ton of years each time it comes into effect." I swallowed nervously.

"Never mind then, I'll try something else." Jack nodded slightly, still obviously lost in thought elsewhere.

_Dammit! There's got to be something that can benefit me without killing me! _I thought angrily as I sat down on the bed and assumed a thinking posture.

"Actually I have something that might benefit someone with your mental fortitude." Jack came forth with just as I was about to suggest something else.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked skeptically.

"I can remove the barrier on your mind that prevents you from assimilating your willpower."

I thought about it for moment, struggling to grasp what I could possibly use this for.

"And I could use this how?" Jack smiled slightly; apparently he had been waiting for that question.

"If I do that, you will be able to convert your willpower into an intangible force capable of affecting tangible objects, the limitations of which are only provided by your imagination… That and your ability to supply the force necessary."

"Supply the force necessary?" I questioned once more.

"By that I mean you will never be strong enough to lift a tank with your mind unless your body is strong enough, and on top of that you need to have the willpower to siphon that energy away from your body and into the task at hand."

"Seems a little bit hard to believe if you ask me… On second thought I forget who I'm talking to… do it."

"Are you sure? No will other information needed? Usually you have loads of questions."

"Unless there something you're not telling me, like some set of serious drawbacks, or maybe some negative effects it will have on my body or mind."

Gray Jack stood and took a seat on the revolving chair near the desk.

_Again with that chair! There's a God damn couch right there! Much more comfortable, why doesn't anyone use that? _I was sure Jack heard my mental complaint but decided not to do anything with it.

"No, what I told you it's what you get… It might take some time for you to master it, so go ahead and think of it like an extra muscle, it will need to be exercised and brought up to strength like any other."

"Except I can use it without the laws of physics constraining its shape." My statement was almost a question.

"For the most part." He supplied.

"Do it, I'm sure." Jack stood suddenly and rubbed his hands together creating friction and heat that was nigh upon the visible spectrum of light. Then, without warning he lunged forward and clapped both of his hands to the sides of my head.

"And with this-" He reared his head back almost as if to get a better look at me. "I return some of what was taken from you… by him." Jack then swung his head downwards and met with my four head in a vicious butting of heads.

And then the world went dark…. On second thought, fuck that! I fought the darkness!

Struggling to maintain my mental balance on my careening consciousness, I pulled forth a coherent thought and conformed it to the single notion of staying awake. Then with a surge of willpower I opened my eyes again.

My vision flittering into existence, I caught the image of gray Jack staring at me, slightly awestruck.

"Wow… you really should be unconscious right now." The statement immediately brought forth my anger.

"What the hell! I told you to give me awesome sauce telekinesis! Not fucking make out with my four head!"

"You wish don't you?" I pulled back slightly my face contorted into an expression of disgust.

"Okay creepy, homosexual, thingamajigs aside… Tell me how I am going to use this power that should've knocked me unconscious?" Gray Jack crossed his arms briefly, clearly formulating an answer.

"From what I've seen in your head, it should be similar to your Geass… However it has significantly more applications, once you learn how to mold the force… Simply experiment, that's all I can really tell you."

"That's helpful… I guess I'll try."

I focused my mind on Gray Jack's chest, imagining the only thing I really wanted to do at the time, which was punch him square in the sternum… Assuming he had one. As I thought of the action in my head, I realized I had another option… it was faint but I could feel it. Almost like a button that was just begging to get pushed and perform its designated action. Performing the mental action that I can still only describe as 'pushing the button' I envisioned a fierce punch connecting with Jack's center being.

The results of which were instantaneous, as fleshy and hollow** thump **followed by a small recoiling from Jack's upper body.

"Ow… Do that again and I'll maim you." He stated flatly, not really sounding like he would back up the threat.

And I was certainly not prepared for the immediate retaliation that came shortly after the telekinetic punch made contact.

"Ahhh! Fuck! God my head hurts! Whoa…" I exclaimed as the fast-paced throbbing of a massive headache laid siege to my brain.

Jack's only response was to laugh darkly at my misfortune.

"Just keep at it and build up your endurance and power, because honestly there was almost none behind that. Just remember you can shape it to do almost anything, but you typically can't push it through an object that your physical body doesn't have the power to pierce… at least not without applying some physics in your favor."

"Duly noted." I replied quickly with tears in my eyes from the slowly receding headache. "How about the pain? Will that go away?"

"Like I said it's just like a muscle, build it up, make it stronger… Just don't tear it… You're screwed up enough as it is."

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, that's great. We're done here." I said painfully while waving him off.

"Sure thing." He said sounding relieved. And just like that he was gone in a blinding flash… but that smell stayed...

_With this new power even if I'm captured I can still put up a huge fight… if not outright free myself. This also helps me greatly when I'm outside of a Knightmare. I'm going to have to perform some tests and figure out the exact qualities of this non-tangible force._

I flopped backwards onto the bed, staring at the ceiling while thinking of the numerous applications of my ability.

_He said that I could change its shape to just about anything, which means I could probably make it really, really, small… or perhaps exceptionally large. There's also the question whether or not I can use it like a blade… Or even the distance that it can travel. The list goes on and on… this is more complicated than my Geass, but far more applicable._

I couldn't help but smile wickedly as I imagined what I could do. At the same time I couldn't help but feel overeager to practice and use it… I was not however looking forward to the future headaches it would undoubtedly create.

_Probably should invest in some type of medication… For migraines maybe?_

**To be continued… **


	27. Geass: Bad habits

Audacity chapter 27.

*I apologize for the delay; however recent events have compelled me to be in the God damn hospital. As some drunken bastard on his motorcycle slammed right into my vehicle fracturing my left arm in several places… Remind me to never buy a motorcycle. Oh well, that's not really important at this time, be ready people, the time for Mao is almost upon us and I'm sure that everyone's looking forward to it…

We shall see.*

**Response to review by: Nihlius. **I have a thing for double-edged words; remember to be extra analytical when it comes to the trans-dimensional and Interdimensional workings. But as far as making a death of that sorts literal… I think I could enjoy writing something like that.

**Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. **His new ability seems weak primarily due to the fact that it **is** weak, don't expect it to become some sort of all-powerful Omni-tool .* Mass Effect reference not intended.* However you can expect him to use it in unique if not borderline asinine ways.

If you're asking my preference when someone writes me a review… Then I'd have to say that I prefer it when the person says exactly what they're thinking, regardless of how it may sound. Always be blunt with me, otherwise I might look between the lines and under the dots of your I's.

**Response to review by: Atrile. **Yeah I know, the polls, at least in my opinion, our sonar connect right now to the point where it pisses me off. But as your remarks regarding his telekinesis I would have to agree with you there.

**Response to bastard ass review by: undead3. **I find it extremely difficult to dignify your review with a legitimate response, at first I had to reread it like three or four times just understand what the hell you were trying to tell me… Not due to what you wrote, but according to how you wrote it… Or perhaps lack thereof, it seems to me more like that you had a monkey slap the keyboard until something semi-coherent was on the page and you copied and pasted that as you review.

But if it helps stabilize your fears, (Or aggravations depending on your point of view.) I can honestly say that I will not be turning my character into any sort of overpowered demigod of ass – hatery.

Word to the wise… Next time you drop a review, have less than 20 spelling and grammar errors, as opposed to your debacle of a paragraph.

**Response to review by: Criticanon**. Your review was very comprehensive; it has genuinely helped me recognize the flaws you pointed out, not to mention it has helped spark my imagination as how I could improve both my story and my writing abilities.

You might be interested in knowing that Gray Jack was actually spawned by a particularly terrifying nightmare that I had a few years ago. I've always had big plans for him, but nothing that could topple the main plot.

When it comes to I details on how to pilot the nightmare you may be surprised to know that I did do extensive research and found it to be incredibly lacking on specific controls… As you can imagine this caused me an enormous bout of aggravation as I was challenged to define a control system that of which was both believable and easily described.

When it comes to Lelouch's choice with women I have a thought at one point in time. Having more than one site trying to grab the wrong end of a torch… You might just be able to snuff it out and use the torch is you please… Which are way more likely to get burned. So I decided to avoid that particular facet of my story simply because it's unrealistic even in the best of circumstances

As to every flaw you pointed out, I must say I appreciate each and every bit very much. You have helped me greatly, I thank you.

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><p><strong>Superduper awesome sauce incredibly distracting line break.<strong>

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><p>"FUCK!" I shouted for what felt like the millionth time that day, during both my external and internal swearing I was assaulted by a monotonously unyielding headache… This of course was due to my continuous experiments with the telekinesis I had recently acquired… Although I was seriously considering whether or not I should give the power back due to how useless it felt.<p>

Under ordinary circumstances one might think telekinesis would be bad ass to have. If anyone ever says this and you catch them, please, bring them to me I'll punch them straight in the jaw.

I found that the amount of force I could put against any object was dependent on three things for the most part.

One: How much willpower I pumped into the attempt.

Two: My body's physical limits. (This honestly, was about on par with Rivalz.)

And three: My willingness to deal with the backlash that would undoubtedly follow even the smallest usage of the power.

Under the best circumstances my body was capable of pumping out a force of about 12,000 Newtons, assuming I used to telekinesis to convert this force. However I found by doing this that I literally knocked myself out, due to the sheer strain it put on my mind. Not to mention the soreness my body felt afterwards.

Another drawback that I noticed was that a while I was using the power, my mental capacity was reduced temporarily; this of course was dependent upon the first two factors I discovered, but a drawback nonetheless.

So far I had found only two uses of it that were even worth mastering. The easiest one and by far my favorite, was the removing of my contact lens without having to use my hands. This would make things significantly easier when I wasn't wearing my mask. The other ability had a directly physical outcome and as far as I was concerned it could only be used in close quarters combat. By focusing the power onto the back of my hand, condensing it, and thinning it out as much as possible I succeeded in making what could effectively be called a blade. Its cutting abilities were dependent upon how much I thinned the invisible material out, but other than that it cut perfectly fine.

I had yet to find the maximum distance I could project the ability… Needless to say I wasn't fond of finding out the hard way. But that would require me to go outside, and at the time I had confined myself to my room in order to conduct my experiments, unlike with my Geass.

I grit my teeth as I stared at the floor, weathering another torrent of dull throbs and sharp pinches; the pain was a direct result of my most recent attempt to lift the entirety of my own body… As it turned out I couldn't, the power was directly dependent on my body as an anchor… Further limiting its uses.

_Come on think… Ow… Okay don't think that hard, there's got to be __**some **__practical application of this power other than cutting shit. It's too bad I can't blow shit up with it… Can I?_

I quickly went through all the possibilities in my mind; the only one that presented the most probable success was friction.

_If I create two sources and rub them against each other at high speeds I should be able to ignite something… Not exactly an explosion, but I can light shit on fire… Plenty of ways to use that I guess._

I pressed the mental switch once more, flinching slightly when the pain receded, preparing to come back in full force once I ended the attempt. Despite the consequences, I molded in my mind two ring-shaped objects with smooth surfaces and meshed them together like a set of gears. Pushing only slightly at first I found that there was some resistance between the two separate invisible objects.

_Good, resistance means there is friction… All I need now is to speed it up._

Pumping more effort into my task I rotated the objects faster, and faster, and faster still, until the point came when I could feel the heat radiating from between the two sets of energy, the air distorting slightly as if a candle was below.

_Why aren't I seeing fire? _I thought both angrily and impatiently as I felt the edges of another headache encroach upon me. Using my emotions as fuel, I redoubled my efforts and increased the resistance between the two objects as well as the speed. Drops of sweat began to develop on my forehead due to the heat being in such close proximity to my body; it was obvious the area between the two rings was more than hot enough to catch fire.

_Dammit! I just realized… I need to have something to burn unless I just want to set all the oxygen around me on fire._

Realizing the danger, I slowly stopped the rotation and moved the rings apart from one another. The moment I fully ended the exertion was the moment my head cracked open.

Figuratively unfortunately.

I could hear my own pulse; I could feel every cell in my brain screech in agony, every synapsis backfire, every electrical impulse falter.

It wasn't fucking pleasant.

"Dammit,dammit, dammit!"I shouted as I brought my hands up to cup my temples only to be met with less than soothing results.

"If this happens every time I use it then it will never have any practical applications!" Forcibly controlling my breathing, I managed to refocus my vision and think somewhat clearly.

_If I can find some way to medicate myself I might be able to avoid the headaches altogether… But then how will I know my limits? How can I stop the power from injuring me somehow?_

I brought my hands down from my head slowly and one at a time, trying desperately not to worsen the throbbing explosion that was my mind. Unfortunately, without realizing it, I had yet to dissipate either of the rings, and whilst in the process of moving my arms the cuff of my left sleeve brushed against one of the rings. Immediately following the contact was a very deep.

**FWUMMP!**

My eyes snapped to the location of the sound, immediately recognizing the beginnings of a flame on my uniforms sleeve.

"Fuckity fuck fuck! I'm on fire!" My panicked realization set in as I hurriedly dissipated the rings and shook my arm furiously in an attempt to oust the fire. I succeeded after a few waves and slaps and was left with the most minor of burns and a very ruined uniform.

Sighing outwardly at my own stupidity I stood up and removed my jacket along with all of its contents, I then replaced it with another one, unburnt mind you, and proceeded to replace the contents of my pockets.

_Well if I'm done trying to kill myself, I might as well see with the student Council is doing._

I checked the time and noticed it was only about midday, roughly the time for lunch. With this reasoning I headed out towards the student Council room for some basic social activity… Yaaaaaay…

I walk through the empty halls of the student Council building without incident, my aching mind barely registering the turns as I made them. Stopping at the door to take a deep breath, I made sure my uniform was in order, soon after I entered. The lonely sight of Rivalz sitting by himself was what met me.

"Hey Lelouch, what are you up to?" He asked in a bored tone, his usual cheery self seemingly diminished.

"Nothing much, I've had one major headache all day so I haven't been able to do much."

"Oh, that sucks, did you try taking something for it?" He asked as he reached over and picked up a magazine and began to study the contents.

"I'd rather not." He shrugged absently with my answer as I sat down on the opposite end of the table only to lean back and prepare to ignore the world. After about 3 minutes of awkward silence a question popped into my scrambled head.

"When was the last time you and I went gambling?" This caught Rivalz's attention.

"About two weeks ago I guess, why do you have something planned? Something big maybe?" I waved innocently at his question.

"No, I was kind of hoping you could arrange something, don't really care what, just make sure the stakes are high." Rivalz turned a page in his magazine and placed his hand on his chin to think.

"All right, I'll see what I can do." I nodded in approval; I was looking forward to it despite the fact that it would simply be stealing funds from whoever was unfortunate enough to face me and by Geass.

My thoughts then turned back to Refrain and how to deal with the drug.

_It's possible the police already have information on it, but then again, if a drug like this has gotten out so much it has to have had help from high places. My best bet is to find whoever is pushing for the drug and Geass them into putting it down._

My thoughts wavered slightly as I heard voices in the hallway.

_And if worse comes to worse I can just go to wherever the source of this drug is and blow it to hell. More than likely it's being manufactured outside of area 11… If not, that would make sabotage significantly easier._

The door to the room opened noisily to reveal both Kallen and Milly as they entered the student Council room.

"No trust me, if we can get him to actually work on it the entire thing will be a hit!" Milly walked over to the table and sat down on it, completely ignoring the chairs that were readily available.

"So Lelouch, I need your help on something." She said slyly. Immediately I was put on the defensive; she was the type of person where the word 'help' meant that you ended up doing just about everything.

"Whatever it is I'm too busy." I stated immediately, trying not to leave an opening for her proposal.

"Oh no, you're not giving me that again! You're the vice president here and I demand that you show some school spirit!" I groaned loudly, positively dreading whatever she had in store.

"What do you want Milly?" I asked while still being cautious.

"I was thinking of having a festival, I still haven't come up with a theme of any kind." I raise my eyebrow quizzically.

"Why on earth do we need a festival, don't we already have a few scheduled for later in the year?" she crossed her arms under her chest and pouted jokingly.

"But of course! However we haven't had anything fun recently and the school needs to lighten up a bit, so I was thinking why not bring in some money at the same time?"

"That sounds like a great idea Prez!" Rivalz interjected. I glared at Rivalz, as if daring him to dig a hole any deeper than he already had.

"Not you too Rivalz." Kallen said sounding exasperated. "We don't even have an actual occasion to base it around."

"Then why not move something up!" Milly shouted while jumping up from the table. "I hereby declare the early arrival of the cross-dressers Ball!" My eyes went wide at her announcement.

"Oh hell no! I will not be putting on a dress or any other article of female clothing!"

"Yeah I think I'm with him…" Rivalz said meekly.

"Yeah, you change sides pretty quick don't you buddy?" I said sarcastically.

"Hey I don't want to put on a dress any more than you do." I grunted an agreement.

"Good, then you and I can skip this thing together." Milly then walked up to me and locked onto my right arm.

"No! You managed to get out of this last year but there's no way I'm letting you out of it this time." She said while grinning sadistically. I tugged on her grip over my arm but found it unrelenting.

"Come on Kallen help me out here!" I looked up to Kallen, but found her staring off idly with a light blush. "Helloooo? Kallen! Anybody in there?" I said while waving at her with my free hand.

"Huh?" She replied with dumbly, which in turn caused me to face palm. With my free hand of course.

"Well I'm the president here and I say this goes!"

"Me too, I think it's a great idea." Came Suzaku's voice from the open door. Being pushed gently in front of him was Nunnally, happily sitting in her wheelchair while calmly surveying the area around her

"Dammit!" I swore in defeat, there were only so many people I could vote against without losing out right. Sighing heavily, I looked back up at Suzaku. "What exactly is your position on the student Council?" Milly then answered for him.

"He provides all the muscle!" I rolled my eyes at her comment. Then again that did make some sense- Suzaku was a bit of a brick shit house. I yanked my arm free from her grasp and walked over to Suzaku.

"Well then, I guess that means I can count on you to move all the heavy stuff? Eh, Suzaku?" He smiled back at me.

"Well if I left it to you, nothing would ever get moved." I grinned widely in return and clasped him on the shoulder lightly.

"Good to have you here, you exercise nut."

"Please, you know I enjoy the work, it's so much fun to be around all you guys. There is almost never a dull moment." Once again, I rolled my eyes.

"You can attribute that to her." I hiked my thumb over towards where Milly was still standing. "All right fine, if we're gonna do this we need to know when it's going to be."

"Two weeks should be enough time for you guys to put it together." I looked back at Milly sharply.

"'You guys'?" I quoted. "You will be helping too, there's no way I'm orchestrating this without you." Milly then raised her hand to her face and feigned frailty.

"But I'm already so taxed with keeping up with all the ordinary school affairs… But I suppose I can help with decorations." I grunted lightly and then shifted my attention to Nunnally.

"How are you feeling Nunnally?" she looked at me somewhat timidly, obviously our last conversation was still running through her mind.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking, I invited Suzaku over for dinner tonight so don't be late." I looked back up at Suzaku who nodded in agreement.

"Sure thing." I said as I made my way to the door.

"Where are you going this time?" Rivalz asked, more likely concerned that I would be doing something fun and he wasn't invited.

"I'm off to the ghetto to buy drugs illegally… Pfft…No but really, I have a few things to take care of that are of a sensitive personal matter. You can still expect me back by dinner Nunnally." I then left without a word, silently hoping that Kallen had caught my less than subtle hint.

I walked at a leisurely pace away from the student Council building towards the front gate. Just before I made it outside of the campus, a voice called out to me.

"Lelouch! Hold on." I turned around to see Kallen running up to me.

_Good, she managed to get away from the rest of the student Council…_

"Let me guess, you want to come with me?" I asked once she came into hearing distance.

"I can't let you go off on your own, at least into a place like the ghetto where you'll stick out horribly."

"Sure come on then." I said casually.

"You don't even know your way around the ghettos that well, at least let me come along to help you navigate… Wait did you say yes?" I couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"Why did you expect some sort of resistance?" She let her arms hang limply as she stared at me.

"Yeah… A little." I turned abruptly and continued walking.

"Well, come on then." I said finally as we made our way to the train station.

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><p><strong>*Shinjuku ghetto*<strong>

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><p>I walked casually with my hands in my pockets through the beaten-down streets of Shinjuku. Kallen, who was standing right behind me, seemed to be slightly on edge and would scan our surroundings constantly.<p>

_Even before the battle, this place was a wreck, even more so now… These people, men, women, children, everyone is forced to live in absolute poverty… Scarcely any food, any clean water, clothes. They have next to nothing, and what they do have is substandard even by medieval terms._

I clenched my jaw tightly as I forced myself to keep a level head.

"This makes me sick…" I said while stopping in front of an alleyway with three Japanese men huddled over something.

"It's like this in every ghetto; this is what the Britannians do to the Numbers… To anyone who opposes them or isn't the same race." I clenched my fists causing my knuckles to pop in several places.

"I can't stand this, the poverty, the depravity… While we sit back at Ashford and worry about some frivolous festival… Fuck that. But I won't look away, this is why we fight." There was movement in the alleyway as the three men took notice of our presence, all of them stood up and began walking towards me.

One of them spoke in Japanese to the man in the lead. I couldn't help but take a mental note that I needed to learn the language if I was going to be truly effective fighting alongside anyone of the same race. Those thoughts were quickly cut off as the tallest man in the lead spoke to me.

"What's a Britannian student doing in the ghetto? And you brought your bitch along with you? How nice of you to hand her over." My eyes narrowed heavily halfway through his sentence, all I wanted was information… But if they wanted to make it stress relieving… Then so be it. Posturing myself in a similar manner I stood in front of Kallen protectively.

"And what makes you think I'll simply hand her over?" The two men flanking the taller one began laughing and exchanging taunts a garbled mixture of Japanese and English.

"Because there's three of us and your spindly ass couldn't even take down one." He said threateningly as he reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a switchblade, flicking it open with a light metallic scrape. I couldn't help but scoff at his audacity; he had no idea who he was up against. I had three things in my arsenal that would immediately put him as my lesser in a one-on-one fight… I decided to go with the most subtle.

Removing my contact lens with my hand I looked up at the trio.

"{Where can I find a refrain dealer?}" All offensive postures dropped, the man's arm immediately dropped down to his side before answering me.

"{Follow me please…}" I nodded as I replaced my contact lens and calmly followed the Three Stooges.

After about 5 minutes of walking it was clear the gentleman that were directing us were bringing us towards the edge of the ghetto. While I was walking I allowed my mind to wander and begin toying with ideas of where and how to make contact with the Viceroy.

_If I use a highly publicized route she'll be unable to ignore it… However this will require me to put myself at the most risk, the only way I could really capture her attention would be by challenging her on a live news broadcast or something of the like._

I paused to scan my surroundings as the three men led us down yet another empty street adjacent to the one we were previously on.

_I could always find a way to contact her privately, such as a cell phone, or maybe even a written request… But then I face the problem of proving that it is actually Cypher 01 sending the message… I doubt breaking into the consulate is a wise idea. In fact, I can nearly guarantee they'll kill me if I tried again between now and the next 10 years._

I sighed outwardly as I debated the pros and cons of the multiple approaches before me… Then it hit me.

_Why should I take only one approach? Why not make contact with her privately in order to arrange something publicly! This will allow her to set up conditions the way she wants, feel comfortable, and get me in range for my Geass!_

I smiled wickedly as I imagined my potential success.

_The only problem now is figuring out how to contact her privately, even if only indirectly. I'm sure I can whip up an interview of some sorts with Diethard from the HI TV station, only this time he won't be any danger of being shot… Probably._

I continued down the same thought process for a while longer until I was brought to awareness by a sudden stop made by the leading party. Before I could say anything one of the three, a brown haired bespectacled man, spoke to me.

"{In here}" he gestured towards the rundown apartment complex just across the street. "{In room 206 is the man that supplies Yagata's grandmother with refrain…}" My eyes narrowed slightly and I nodded despite there being no need for any sort of confirmation.

"Come on Kallen let's go inside before my Geass wears off and these guys become ass hats again."

"Right…" She said sternly as she forcibly took the lead. I shrugged lightly and followed shortly behind.

I followed Kallen through the broken door of the tattered building, tossing glances at every decrepit door that sported a faded plate signifying its room number. There was an elevator at the end of the hallway; the elevator door was partially open, revealing several decaying piles of trash and other such rubbish that was unidentifiable

"Let's take the stairs." I said quietly, trying hard to hold back the look of disgust that threatened to display itself on my features. We then angled ourselves towards the stairs, which surprisingly were in decent condition.

_Aside from the graffiti this area is relatively clean, probably because it's frequently traveled… _I mused as we ascended to the second story. Once on the second story we walked quietly down another hallway slowly counting the numbers as we went down. Kallen stopped suddenly and pointed towards a door that had clearly been abused during its lifetime.

"This is it." She whispered. I nodded and brought myself over to knock, but just before my fist made contact with the defiled door I hesitated.

"Do you have the gun I gave you?" I asked quietly, just barely loud enough to be heard. I look back at Kallen, her eyes slightly wide, whether it was shock or embarrassment I knew not.

"Uhhh… I sort of left it at home." I immediately face palmed in exasperation.

"I told you to keep that thing on you at all points in time." I said slightly louder while allowing my hand slide down my face, further demonstrating my mild frustration.

"Okay, okay, I'll bring it with me next time." I narrowed my eyes slightly with her response.

"No, you need to bring it with you all the time, not just next time." I said in a condescending tone, punctuating the end of my sentence by shaking my hand with each and every syllable. She simply rolled her eyes at me and crossed her arms. Clearly she was not happy with me reprimanding her for something she considered a minor issue. I reached into the small of my back and produced the model 36 offering it to her while holding the barrel.

"Give this back when were done here, but I honestly expect you to keep the Beretta I gave you on your person at all points in time… If something happens, a gun significantly increases your ability to defend yourself." She then snatched the gun from my hand without argument. After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly I knocked on the door four times. There was the sound of a chair sliding across a wooden floor followed by slow and deliberate footsteps coming increasingly closer to the other side of the door.

"Yeah, wadaya want?" Spat a scruffy looking Brittanian man as he opened the door quickly and stuck his head through the threshold in a clearly disrespectful fashion.

What happened next was simply a knee-jerk reaction, for lack of a better description. I quickly raised my right leg up and kicked the man squarely in the chest causing him to fly back into the well-lit and surprisingly clean apartment.

"What the he-" I gave the man no quarter as I took several steps inside and grabbed him by his greasy blonde hair and forcefully pulled him towards the kitchen area. I looked in front of me and spotted a window that was cracked and held together by several pieces of tape. This immediately spawned an idea. Forcefully yanking the man over to the window as he flailed in vain I smashed his head into the frame of the dirty window.

"If you scream I will kill you, if I believe you are lying I will kill you, if you fight back I will maim you. Am I understood?" I said authoritatively. Instead of responding the man came to his senses and attempted to turn himself around while still in my grip.

Wrong move.

I brought my knee squarely up into the center of his crotch while rearing his head back once more to slam it against the faded white molding of the window.

"Am. I. understood." I said more forcefully this time. Through his excruciating pain the man managed to nod twice.

"Do you supply refrain to the Elevens?" After a few ragged breaths and increased pressure against his head, he had the incentive to give a legitimate answer.

"Y-y- yeah man, if you want to buy some ya don't need to be such an asshole-" I pulled on his hair tightly in a yanking twisting motion and growled.

"I do not want your filthy drugs, I want answers, now tell me… Who supplies you and where do they get their materials from?" after several seconds of silence I peered over my shoulder to Kallen and said darkly.

"Q1, put a round through his leg." The man's already wide eyes expanded further in the utmost expression of panic and powerlessness.

"No! H-hold on just a second, I get my shit from… Naw man, if Lucas finds out I told you he will kill me and my family." My expression twisted into that of a putrid and disgusted scowl.

"What I'm going to do to you is far worse." I then raised my elbow and in one quick movement slammed it into the pane of glass beside him causing an earsplitting cacophony of shattered glass bouncing off of every surface it touched. The man's hair and clothes were now littered with small pieces of clinging glass shards, his expression as panicked as ever… But that was just the start of it. I then forced his head downwards towards the still standing and jagged edges of the remaining window, leveling it just right so his eye was less than 2 inches away from being split wide-open by the offending material.

"Tell me or I swear to God both you and your family will get even worse treatment… Because I won't kill you, nor your family… You will all live very long lives in a darkened basement while attached to the most painful devices I can come up with." The man's breathing came out pathetic and feeble gasps as I continuously applied pressure downwards, causing his face to inch closer and closer to certain blindness. He was nigh upon a centimeter from losing his right eye until he finally broke.

"Warehouse 42, Tokyo settlement docking district 4! I stop by every week to get the stuff! Now please just let me go!" The man pleaded. Holding the suspense in the air for a few moments longer I finally relinquished my hold on his hair allowing him to hurriedly scramble away from the window. I then reached upwards to my left eye and remove my contact lens.

"{Obey me.}" I ordered once his fleeting gaze met mine. This profusely sweating figure relaxed suddenly as my Geass took over. The once panic stricken man was gone, replaced by a near comatose servant.

"{Is all the information you gave me true?}" I questioned further.

"{Yes. All of it.}" He answered stoically. Now that I had acquired the answers I wanted, I had no need for the unnamed drug dealer before me.

_Time to dispose of him properly… _I thought as I prepared my next order.

"{Go straight with your life, get a decent education and a decent job, become a good person and a productive member of society… Make the people around you happy, especially your family. And once we leave forget this whole incident ever happened.}" Once finished, I quietly slipped on my contact lens, retrieved my firearm from Kallen and then quietly motioned for her to follow.

As soon as we had made it outside of the door, Kallen stopped to ask.

"Why didn't you just Geass him right away?" I looked at her while returning the model 36 to its holster.

"By forcing them to tell us the information ordinarily it tells me how loyal the dealers are to whoever supplies them… And as it turns out not very." She took my answer while nodding and continued following me.

After exiting the rundown apartment complex I turned to Kallen and noticed her walking just two steps behind me with a rather downcast expression.

"Now that we have the information we need we can send some men to scope out the warehouse he mentioned, from there we can decide our next course of action… But just remember we are one step closer to finding your mother… As well as removing this drug." Her downcast eyes softened slightly, and she managed a small smile.

"Thank you." She said softly. I couldn't help but nod and smile back as I reach for my pack of cigarettes and lit up one. I had barely managed to take a full drag before I felt something tug on my hand quickly. Kallen had snatched the pack of cigarettes from my hand and promptly threw it on the ground and smashed it with her foot.

I could only stare back dumbly.

"I can't believe you have such a dirty habit!" I shook off my shock and change my expression to one of confusion.

"Lots of people have this habit… Does that mean you're run around town stealing and destroying everyone's cigarettes?" A flash of anger adorned her face as she reached for my already lit cigarette, I didn't bother fighting back as she tore it from my grasp and repeated same process of throwing and smashing.

"Those things will kill you worse than any bullet would! I can't believe someone who smokes actually kissed me." She caught herself at the end for sentence and turned away while blushing slightly.

This caused me to immediately change tracks.

"Ahhh, so you did enjoy it… And here I was thinking I had been silently shot down." I teased.

"I-it's not like that!" I cocked my head to the side and she brought her arms up, shaking them defensively.

"Really? That's not the impression I got. Care to have another go just to make sure?" I said while turning fully and leaning inwards, inching closer to her lips. She seized up the briefly before taking both of her hands and pushed me away.

"Like I'd let you kiss me with your breath smelling like smoke." I managed to break into a wide grin as I returned her verbal jab.

"So if I popped in some mint gum we could just have at it?" I said, my near sadistic smile never faltering causing her barely present blush to multiply tenfold. She stood there for a moment her fists clenched at her sides as if she was prepared to strike me… Not that I would blame her, but luckily for me she didn't. Instead she made an almost snobbish 'Hmmph' sound and began walking ahead of me at a brisk pace.

Although it shouldn't have been possible, my already broad smile spread even further.

_Oh yeah, suspicions confirmed, this one's mine._ I thought slyly as I watched her retreating form walk down the cracked sidewalk.

I saw what I wanted: she gave me hope, she gave me reason, she gave me rationality…

And I would have what I wanted… Indefinitely

**To be continued…**


	28. Geass: Of Hell and Geass

Audacity chapter 28.

Author's notes.

*I apologize for the wait, however I decided it would be best for the quality of my material if I waited until I was mostly healed up and off the pain reducing drugs that had been given to me. Looking back at my previous chapter I realize that me being hopped up on painkillers while writing produces poor results… On that note, I appreciate the concern from all who gave it… However I will have you know that it will take a lot more than a car wreck to kill me. I am by no means a frail person, in fact, had there not been bystanders there to witness the accident I would've stepped on the man's throat after he ran into my vehicle with his motorcycle. That being said I present to you the contents of chapter 28.*

**Response to review by: Atrile. **I don't even want to think about it, had I been on the sidewalk at the time that probably would've fuck me up really good… Significantly beyond what it did to my left arm.

Euphemia (Insert sadistic laughter here.) … I can't wait put her and my character in the same room together… If you have a good look at the poll you will see that the result that has been chosen predominantly, is quite easily the most fun to write. (Insert more sadistic laughter here.)

**Response to review by: LEGENDRY. **You can go ahead and expect my character to fuck himself up with the over usage of this power in the future**… **Believe me when I say that I have plans for both his experiments and half assed practical applications for his ability.

As to your deductions of his abilities nature… I'm going to spoil something and tell you that his power is not simply energy in its purest form… This was slightly implied but never necessarily stated, you will find out later due to Gray Jack explaining further, that it is in fact energy manipulating 'dust', I use the term 'dust' in its nonliteral meaning, simply due to the fact that he's not actually manipulating the dust around him… That's just term that Jack knows it by. I'm already working on the next chapter, it will have many explanations for you to enjoy and take apart.

**Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. **I thank you for your concern, but as stated above it will take a hell of a lot more to kill me.

As to your question to why my character would pick up an ability after such a short description… We've been over this… This character is terrible at making decisions when it comes to deals… Expect epic failure on his part pertaining to anything along the lines of a deal in the future.

**Response to reviews by: god of all **and **Ghost2113. **I appreciate the input and your support, thing should be speeding up back towards my usual update pace. (At least a chapter a week.) due to my improved physical condition.

**Super awesome sauce incredibly distracting line break. Woo hoo.**

***Dinner with Nunnally and Suzaku.**

I had arrived home just after the sun had set, the sky had yet to fully darken, and the clouds in the distance caused a florescent orange glow to overtake the trees and grass. Shortly after entering the student Council building I found that Nunnally and Suzaku were already waiting. After giving a half assed apology I sat down to eat dinner with them as planned.

Dinner was pleasant… If not a little awkward with Nunnally, however Suzaku was more than adamant to retell the events of the past several years of his life. The time came for both Nunnally and I to describe our recent happenings so I let Nunnally take the reins due to her unaltered memory. This was mostly successful, however I found it was required that I pitch in here and there; but I never provided anything more than a vague comment or description.

However things took a turn for the worse when Suzaku looked directly at me and asked.

"So what have you been up to lately? The student Council complains that you've been acting strangely… I have to say I agree, you're a lot more expressive than you used to be." I smiled awkwardly in response while struggling to formulate a rebuttal.

_Well obviously I can tell him what I've actually been doing, so the next best thing is to lie while telling parts of the truth… I hope._

"Oh you know, the usual, starting resistance movements, running the Mafia, breaking steel beams with my bare hands… Same old same old." This elicited a joyful laugh from Suzaku as he struggled to stay in his seat. I realized that he would inquire further due to the absurdity of my answer so I decided to try again more normally.

"No but really, just because I'm taking my classes seriously everyone has a fit… Is it really that bad that I'm spending more time working on my education?" Suzaku had finally calmed down, his eyes softened as he picked up his fork again.

"No, it's not. I think it's great that you're trying to make something out of yourself… Something normal. Hopefully one day you and Nunnally can find somewhere to live in peace without fear of being discovered." I couldn't help but smile softly in return to how genuinely sincere he was being.

"But if we did, you would come to visit right?" Nunnally asked hopefully. Suzaku turned to her and livened up his smile.

"Yeah, definitely, and I'm sure the whole student Council would too."

"I would really like that…" She replied sweetly.

The serenity of the scene before me was almost too much to behold.

_How could I ever dream of keeping it like this with the path I'm going along… _I thought while resting my elbow on the table and idly playing with the food before me. But just as I was admiring how much Nunnally and Suzaku got along, I couldn't help but be reminded that Suzaku was in the Britannian military… More specifically.

_He is the pilot of the white knightmare… What's it called? Oh yes, the Lancelot. So for all technical purposes, he is my enemy._

I briefly considered Geassing him in order to find out more about both his employers and the technology they were working on, but with Nunnally present and the fact that he probably knew next to nothing useful, I cast that thought aside.

"Lelouch," Suzaku began to question. "When you were-" his inquiry was cut off by the sound of my ringing phone; I jumped slightly in surprise and reached into my lower breast pocket to check the number. I didn't recognize the number in the slightest, but that didn't stop me from answering.

"This is Lelouch." I said as I stood from the table and walked towards the door in an attempt to show some form of modesty for the others eating dinner.

"Cypher, sir, this is Ohgi…" My eyes widened slightly due to the surprise of the situation, but I recovered quickly.

"Yes, I'm listening. Tell me what's going on."

"We have five people, myself and Kallen included ready to go scope out the warehouse, we're just waiting on your order, or your arrival." I clenched my teeth slightly and frustration.

The fact that others would put themselves in danger simply to double check information that I had acquired didn't sit right with me.

"I don't think that's necessary, I can go take a look at it myself later tomorrow." There was no pause between my answer in his exclamation.

"What! You can't seriously think you can go over there alone, even if you wore the mask they'd catch you immediately, the fact is they're more than likely have Japanese working in the warehouse. You would stick out immediately- Ow!- hey! Kallen!" the sounds of struggling were blatantly apparent on the other side of the phone as I listened to the receiver changing hands.

"All right Mr. the way I see it you have two options. You can either get over here and come with us, or we go now by ourselves." The venom in her tone caused me to narrow my eyes angrily, almost in indignation.

"It's almost like you don't understand who's in charge here…" I said with stern authority. Her response was hesitant, but she still replied in a logical manner towards her cause.

"I know that, but you have a terrible tendency of doing things by yourself and getting hurt-"

"That was like maybe two times!" I almost shouted into the receiver.

"Yeah! And don't you think you would learn from both those times? The fact is you make everyone else nervous when you go off and do things without telling anyone." This caused me to flinch, I didn't expect that… The way I had seen it, the more proactive I was without forcing the group to move, the more they would trust me.

_I've drawn suspicion, it seems I need to be more forthcoming with how I do things and who I involve…_

"Fine…" I gave in begrudgingly. "You guys can go on ahead, gather as much information as you can and detail the possible entry points… if none worth using are present… I'm not above blowing the place to hell."

"Right, thank you we'll get it done." She said happily. Just before she hung up I called out to her.

"Kallen…" I said quietly.

"Yes?" I inhaled deeply before my final request.

"Be careful…" There was a slight pause in the conversation, a full 3 seconds pass without anything being said.

"Alright…" And then she hung up. I took a brief moment to stare at the phone, its pale screen glaring back at me.

"Lelouch? Is everything all right?" I jumped slightly, I had forgotten where I was at and said things I probably shouldn't had. I quickly recovered my senses and scratched the back of my head nervously.

"Yeah, it's fine. Kallen was just going to get material for the decorations for the upcoming festival… But they were in a rather bad part of town… I told her I would do it myself but she's… Stubborn." Suzaku began to slide out of his seat and offered.

"I can go with her i-if it's too dangerous." I calmly decided to do some damage control.

"No, it's too late, she already left."

"Oh that's too bad, tell her next time she needs to go do something like that she should ask for help." I smiled slightly.

_Always so sincere and gentle, maybe you should be Nunnally's brother as opposed to me…_

"Don't worry I will."

The rest of dinner went by smoothly, and was significantly less awkward. I finally began to talk to Nunnally normally… Well as normally as I could. After finishing dessert we sat around talking for maybe another 15 minutes, but at that time I felt myself growing physically tired. Suzaku it seemed to pick up on this and decided to excuse himself for the night. Trying to be a good host I insisted that I walk him at least to the door. Just as we were standing outside and he had reached the bottom step he turned to look at me.

"A lot of stuff has happened recently, and you've changed a lot… but it seems you've opened up a lot more." The moment his words left his mouth I felt as if I died a little on the inside.

_It's hard not to open up when you have almost nothing to close._

I stifled a yawn before I replied.

"Maybe, I'll see you later man." Suzaku waved and turned quickly. I didn't watch him walk off, instead I began my trek back to my dorm in order to sleep and recover. Along the way I briefly considered calling Gray Jack to discuss the limitations and applications of my power in more detail.

_There's time for that tomorrow, I'm tired._ I decided.

Just as I slipped into my pajamas and laid down in the bed, I couldn't help but feel as if something was off… Something somewhere wasn't right. I couldn't place the feeling, or give it coherent thought. So I simply went to sleep.

The ominous feeling overwhelmed me as I reached unconsciousness.

Shit was about to get real.

***Dreaming.**

I awoke while still inside my dream… If that sort of thing is even possible. Once again I was met with the surreal vision of seeing absolutely pitch black save for my own body and its personal effects. I was dressed in my Ashford Academy uniform; a quick check determined that I had all my usual contents within their designated pockets. Before I could begin to draw any type of conclusion, or to discern anything of value, my attention was pulled towards a sharp and angry female voice.

"You have betrayed me, and through me the Lord himself…" the voice hissed venomously. I turned to see once again the visage of the pure white angel that had presented herself to me previously in an attempt to turn me against Gray Jack.

"What of it?" I asked flatly. From every angle I looked at it, I saw no gain working with the Angel, working with God… It would give me nothing… Nothing that I was interested in at least.

_I'm already going to hell, might as well make my stay on earth a damn good one._

"That is not true, you are not necessarily condemned… Not yet." Her voice softened, which caused me to arch an eyebrow suspiciously and fold my arms over my chest.

"Oh really? Because honestly, even I think I deserve to go to hell. You would say exactly the same if you had seen what I've already done with my Geass, not to mention with my bare hands." My words caused the Angel to cringe slightly; it seemed the mere mention of earthly sins caused discomfort to her.

"Succumbing to temptation is a common fault, besides, you are still useful-" My breath hitched towards the end of her sentence, the very fact that someone else was considering using me in some unknown game of cops and robbers infuriated me.

"**USEFULL?**" I shouted angrily. "Is that all I fucking am to you! Some random tool that you found helpful towards your goal? Your ends? Your big picture!" I unfolded my arms and drew the Glock 17. Despite the fact this was technically a dream, I couldn't help but point my most potent physical weapon at the celestial being.

Her expression was that of pure shock, she obviously hadn't expected me to react in such a manner. However she was quick to recuperate and returned with her own form of fury.

"You dare threaten a messenger of the Lord?" She spat with a sense of finality, the calming edge of her voice vanishing completely.

"In a fucking heartbeat twinkle tits." Her face turned beet red in indignation.

"Then you will know the pain of Satan's domain… But only a taste whilst you sleep." I tightened my muscles and prepared to pull the trigger, but just before I committed the act I blinked… And she vanished. The only thing that remained of her was an echoing declaration.

"Your punishment begins now, human." I was about reply to the ghostly statement; however my attention was pulled towards the ground as it began to glow cherry red. Flames sprouted from the floor illuminating my black surroundings, only to reveal the haunting faces of decaying, decrepit demons. Sharp teeth, dislocated eyes, rotting flesh, numerous bugs festering within unwholesome wounds. These were but a few of the many utterly sickening traits that the monsters displayed proudly as they advanced upon my position, their numbers were uncountable, I couldn't help but lose my nerve and backpedal rapidly, my weapon completely forgotten. All the while the flames on the floor growing taller and hotter, consistently licking at my feet and legs, only to grow even higher and reach past my arms and head.

The pain began to set in as the shock wore off, my shoes nearly melted full off, but were boiling rapidly as they stuck to my skin like hot oil, blistering the delicate flesh around it. My clothes began to disintegrate as they caught fire, numerous burns began to develop amongst my body. Searing pain clawed its way through my consciousness, never enough to cause me to pass out, but never so little to the point where I had even the briefest moment to think.

My body throughout the blazing torture was kept in a position where it was still functional, but was put under the most horrifying and grievous burns and wounds that were physically capable of developing. In what felt like hours of burning, of blistering, of melting, my mind finally came to a point where it began to numb itself to the pain.

I looked up only to see myself surrounded again by the horrifying decrepit creatures that I believed to be demons. One of them approached me, its arms outstretched. It had no skin, a massive amount of muscle, several holes amongst its body that appeared to be made by the largest caliber of bullets, each of which bled profusely. Its head was leaning off to the side, nearly decapitated as it hung precariously by its carotid artery and a small strip of flesh.

The humanoid figure shambled closer to me until it stood just above my nearly prone and agonizing body, its black blood dripping onto the inferno of a floor beneath me, this caused me to shuffle back slightly. My actions were only met by the discovery that the rest of the demons had surrounded me in a much tighter circle.

Two of them picked me up by my severely burned arms causing a whole new world of pain to erupt, aggravating the freshly seared wounds. My body began to convulse in rejection of all the sensations. I might've passed out, I might've felt genuine fear, but I refused to scream… under no circumstances would I scream- I refused to give in to that level. Even when the humanoid figure in front of me began clawing at my festering wounds in every way imaginable, creating new ones, stripping flesh from my bones, slowly tearing muscle and breaking bones, the most it would elicit out of me was a grunt or a tensing of my remaining muscles.

The fire may have been blazingly hot.

The creatures may have been superfluously brutal.

My mind may have been in tatters due to the abuse.

But I would **not** scream…

Then I woke up.

"**FUCKING SHIT!"** I yelled hoarsely as I shot straight into a sitting position. I looked behind myself to the bed and noticed that the sheets and blanket were soaked in sweat, my mind weighed down heavily on me… Needless to say sleep had been less than restful that night.

I struggled to find a standing position but instead found myself collapsing onto the floor, my body shivering in the remembrance of excruciating pain. My stomach finally gave out as I hurriedly crawled to the bathroom and heaved several times into the toilet.

After giving myself at least 10 minutes to recuperate, I forced myself into a standing position in front of the sink. I rinsed my mouth several times took several drinks of water, shortly after I washed my face and stared into the mirror.

_God I look terrible._ I thought as I viewed the haggard expression as well as the bags under my eyes which were forcibly displayed amongst my normal facial features.

_If that happens every time I go to sleep, then I might as well stay awake… I'll live longer that way._

I couldn't help but feel hollowed out after the terrifying experience, just a small taste of hell was traumatizing enough … I couldn't even begin to imagine an indefinite stay. I shivered at the thought of experiencing anything like it again.

_I suppose if anything good came out of this, it would be that my tolerance for pain has probably gone up._

I smiled slightly into the mirror, it did nothing to help my expression; I still looked dead, beaten, torn, distraught and beleaguered.

"Man that sure was a nasty nightmare." A cheerful male voice stated from my doorway. I looked up, feeling too numb to experience shock. There stood a Chinese man with white hair, oversized earmuffs, and a rather impressive set of sunglasses, he wore an abnormal set of clothing; it was more than apparent that his choice of dress was foreign even to Japan.

"Who the hell are you and what you want?… On second thought, better question. How did you get in here?" I questioned sternly while I brought my body to its full height, quickly producing the model 36.

The man put his hands up defensively, the childish smirk never left his face.

"You can call me Mao, as to how I got in here… Let's just say I'm good at getting what I want."

_He implied he wants something, I doubt the only thing he wanted was to break in here and question me for mundane matters. I suppose it's possible I haven't actually woken up, maybe now I'm now being tortured mentally as opposed to physically…_

"Oh no I assure you, you're quite awake." My eyes widened as far as they were physically capable the moment he responded to my thought. If I hadn't had Jack read my mind and do the exact same thing before, I probably would've passed it off as being easily read.

Not this time.

_He can read my mind, great not another god damn head crawler… That means he probably watched me have that shit storm of a dream… The question is… how much of my mind can he read?_

I quickly began cross filtering and throwing several worthless thoughts on top of my developing a plan of action in order to see if it would allow me any sense of security. Just to make sure I pulled back the hammer on the model 36 and squeezed the trigger lightly, just a hair's breath away from firing.

"You won't shoot me, not when I have something to offer you." My interest piqued slightly as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Talk." I ordered.

"From what I can read in your mind you've come into contact with CC… and on top of that." He motioned lightly with his hands for emphasis. "You don't seem to be too fond of her, not that I could ever understand how…" He growled.

"What do you want with CC?" I asked quickly.

"Ah, straight the point eh? She and I have a contract, same as you, all I want is to be with her… And in return if you give her to me I might decide to work with you… Assuming you keep her safe from the military."

_He has Geass! I can't believe I didn't think of that beforehand, I just assumed it was similar to Jack's ability._

Mao's face darkened as I lamented on my thoughts.

"How do you do that exactly?" I looked him directly in the eyes through his sunglasses.

"Do what?" I asked genuinely. He pursed his lips and fondled his chin as he leaned up against the doorframe heavily.

"Your mind just completely vanishes briefly for no apparent reason." And just like that a flash of recognition went through my head.

_Jack installed countermeasures and fail safes for other people who can read my mind, this way people like Mao can't discover him… But that leaves the question as to how the angel knew so much about what he has done recently…_

"To be completely honest with you, if I told you, you would be killed… And the power creating these gaps in your ability to read my mind would be the one to do it… I have no control over it."

"Is it your Geass? Did CC give it to you? You haven't already taken her code have you!" I squinted my eyes quizzically at his childish outbursts.

"Just read my mind stupid, I haven't taken anything from her. Much less this code you're talking about… Unless of course she's forced it upon me without me knowing." Mao's body visibly relaxed once I explained to him and he checked my thoughts.

"Oh I assure you, she couldn't have possibly given it to you without you knowing… Besides, your Geass isn't evolved enough to support a code." My interest fully peaked, I couldn't help but ask.

"And yours is?" Mao lowered is curved sunglasses down slightly and revealed his ever present Geass sigils in full bloom.

_So that's what I can expect…_

"If you live that long Mr. Cypher." I should've expected it from someone who was privy to my every thought… Apparently past and present. However that didn't stop me from cringing slightly when he mentioned my alter ego.

"Tell anyone, and I won't hesitate to eviscerate your God damned soul." I threatened darkly. I had to hand it to Mao, for all the responses he could have used he chose the one I expected the least. He began clapping, smiling broadly as he stood straight. It unnerved me slightly, I couldn't help but feel the urge simply shoot him and get the situation over with. My mind still felt tattered and torn from the hellish experience I had just encountered… But the enticing thought of having a mind reading Geass user help me fight Britannia was just far too tempting to turn down.

"I won't tell anyone. Scouts honor!" He said joyfully as he made a mocking salute.

"You want CC? You can have her… Assuming you decide to work for me. In return I will keep both of you safe. However you must remember, although I can give you free reign to try whatever you want with her… I can't force her to accept it."

"It doesn't matter, everything's perfectly all right… After all, she and I are in love." I grunted lightly in minor skepticism.

"We'll see about that, wait outside the door I'm gonna get dressed, you and I will find her and have a more detailed chat."

I watched him as he exited the room and closed the door behind him, I then locked it and proceeded to dress into a fresh uniform as well as placing the contents of my pockets accordingly. I briefly considered calling gray Jack for advice; however I didn't want the alleged gap in Mao's ability that would undoubtedly be caused by his appearance to unnerve him… Not to mention the smell of burnt meat would be hard to explain

_If I can get him to work for me that means I'll have another way to gather data… The range that his Geass can reach will dictate how far away I can steal sensitive information from… Along the lines of information gathering, his Geass beats mine._

I paused briefly and sat down on the corner of the bed to collect myself.

_If all goes well I'll have a way to get inside the heads of every Britannian official without even getting too close… Not to mention the schematics, raw data, floor plans, and secret passages that he could steal… There's all sorts of shit he might be able to uncover for me._

I stood with an air of determination; if CC was going to freeload off of me she could at least provide another asset.

I walked over to the door and opened it cautiously, I saw Mao leaning up against the wall opposite from the door.

"Let's go." I said quietly. As I led him to where CC's room was.

_Wait a minute, he can read my mind… He should be able to tell where her room is without me showing him! _The thought dawned upon me in a flash, this caused me to reach for my Glock and turn sharply.

"Explain yourself, you didn't need me to find where CC stays." Mao shifted his weight to one of his feet and crossed his arms impatiently.

"Sure, that's true; however you just happened to be the best source of safety due to your ability to erase everyone's memory. That being said, if you can erase the memory of those who are after her… She won't need to hide anymore and that means she and I can live happily and freely."

_Not very well thought out, but if it works… Probably a definite solution. I suppose it really depends on how many people are after her and whether or not I can get to them before they get to me._

"Exactly what I was thinking." Mao said kiddingly as I turned and continued my journey CC's room.

"So you plan on using me to create a safe haven for both you and your 'woman'." I questioned darkly.

Mao shrugged indifferently and twirled his finger in the air.

"It's not like you don't plan on using me, the way I see it we can have a mutually beneficial relationship… Assuming you keep your hands off of CC… I've seen what you've done, needless to say I'm not happy, but at least you showed some restraint-"

"Don't wanna hear it moving on." I declared loudly as I continued the short walk to CC's dorm.

_I think this guy is a little bit off of his rocker…_

Only time would tell.

**To be continued…**


	29. Geass: Build up

Audacity chapter 29.

Authors Notes.

*Hey bitches I'm back… I don't really have an excuse for my absence; honestly this is just the first chance I found while I had both the time and energy to get my ass in gear. I noticed some people are anticipating Euphemia's direct encounter with Cypher 01… Still. You need not to worry I have plans to write that starting next chapter and unless some magical bullshit happens between now and when I'm done producing this chapter, I should commence production on chapter 30. (On a side note once I produce chapter 30 I will be taking some time out of my life in order to pump out the audio rendition of my story… Surprisingly I have received several requests for that so I will continue with it.) Now that I'm done spamming you with my nonsense enjoy this shit I call a chapter*

**Response to review by: god of all. **It's always nice to know that my story interests people, thanks.

**Response to review by: Ghost2113. **My characters regular mind as you put it you will find as many incredibly odd hiccups and snags that of which put him on the borderline crazy perspective. But besides that yes his mind is rather ordinary. Thank you for your analysis.

**Response review by: Criticanon. **I couldn't help but want to keep Mao. Every time he gets offed by another author I can't help but feel like it was a wasted opportunity. The fact is having someone who can tell you exactly what your opponent is thinking, or at the very least gather information is well worth the risk of keeping him around. Thanks for your review.

**Response review by: XT3. **I think my character fits the bill of this third-party entity you're looking for, because of that I don't think I'll be entering a new one in this story. Thanks for your review.

**Response to review by: Atrile. **Don't worry buddy, the fact that I took so long to update can attest to the fact that I too often find myself with very little to say. As to the scene with Euphemia… Literally next chapter.

**Response to review by: LEGENDRY. **Apologies need not be in order, shit happens and things break. But I'm ok now; my arm and such are at full capacity… I think…

I do hope you get a chance to use the internet freely soon… Your reviews have always been the most fun to read considering your one of the few people willing to call me out on things.

As to Lelouch's new power, your rendition is almost spot on save for the fact that the power will also drain him physically as well as mentally if given the chance. Also if you read this chapter you will find more information on its limitations.

The only reason my character gets mad when the angel talks about using him is because he doesn't trust or even like her. He tends to feel attached to Gray Jack so many things he says and does to Lelouch will simply be allowed to slide. As to the reason behind all of the potential disinformation… I can't say… for now.

Mao… He's certainly a piece of work. His interactions with the cast will be exceptionally funny when I get to it. Other than that all I can say is that public relations and Mao simply don't mix.

Thanks for your thoughtful review.

**Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. **Thanks, I try to keep his relations with his allies believable but friendly. Your reviews are always nice to read.

Superduper awesome sauce incredibly distracting line break 2.0

In this world I decided there were very few things that could genuinely annoy me. The existing list was very short, large bodies of water, misplaced pointy objects, people who can't shut up, and finally people who don't know how to keep their noses out my business.

And at the moment Mao was completing half of the requirements to annoy me. All he needed to do now was stand by the ocean right after I lose my butterfly knife; then I would have a good excuse to kill him, instead I had to deal with.

"So about this power you refuse to explain to me, I really wonder why I can't read your mind when you use it!" He said in an exaggerated fashion as we stood several feet from CC's door. I had been trying to lay down some ground rules as to what he should and shouldn't do if CC rejects him… However I yet to get him off the subject of my extra abilities.

"The strangest thing is your mind just all of a sudden gets cloudy and blurry, the most I can pick up is the fact that your there." I couldn't help but facepalm.

"I've already told you, I can't tell you about it otherwise it will automatically kill you… Think of it like a piano that hangs over your head, and as long as you don't look at it or try to understand why it's there it won't land on you… Unfortunately." Mao huffed heavily and responded with.

"You really have a knack for analogies! Do you use them because you think others are incapable of understanding simple concepts? Somebody is full of themselves." My eye twitched slightly in irritation as I forced myself to remain calm.

"Don't you have and obsession with CC to feed? Why don't you go bug her?"

"Nonsense!" He shouted with his arms outstretched "I couldn't possibly bug the beautiful CC she and I get along far too well. Besides we'll have far too much catching up to do for me to start playing with her." I ignored his mildly sexual suggestion and pushed him towards her door.

"Just remember if she doesn't want to talk with you you're going to have to leave, you can still work with me if you want but the bottom line is I'm not going to subject her to you any more than myself."

"Why do you keep saying that? You really believe she won't want to have anything to do with me!"

"Exactly! Don't you think that she would've stuck with you had she found a use for you, if you ask me you probably annoyed the crap out of her ten too many times and she decided to ditch you!" Mao's eyes widened in shock, then shortly afterwards narrowed in anger as he adopted a hostile posture.

"Why you!" He growled. "You take that back right now!" I couldn't help but be provoked further by his borderline retarded reaction.

"What the fuck are you going to do if I don't Captain wonton?" My insult caused him to jump at me with his arms outstretched. As he closed the distance my foot firmly found its place between his legs, and with nothing but a grunt and a dull thud the conflict was over… At least physically.

"You son of a bitch that was a low blow and you know it." I held my arms up innocently.

"Just because you can read my mind doesn't mean you can react fast enough, all I need to do is either make snap decisions orjust pull the most random shit possible, and there you have it, your ass is grass." I couldn't help but smirk smugly as he hissed and writhed on the floor. At the same time I felt a moderate amount of sympathy… I had been in that situation before; however it was at least an attractive woman that had done it to me and not a disgruntled male.

I heard a light shuffling of feet from the room beside me and shortly afterwards a door opening revealing CC barely dressed in anything but another one of my dress shirts and a pair of underwear. She didn't look too happy.

"What's all the noise out here fo-" She stopped abruptly her eyes locking on to the nearly prone figure before me; her expression displayed a look of a morbid hesitance and a touch of fear.

"I hope you claim this bastard, because if you don't I'm just going to Geass him." I leveled with sternly.

"No! You can't do that… I mean, he's suffered enough…" I snorted arrogantly.

"His powers are more useful than mine in many situations, if he has any sort of suffering I guarantee you he could wiggle out of it." CC knelt down beside Mao and inspected him as he suffered through the waves of agony I had forced upon him.

"No, it's not like that… His Geass is worse than your own. He can't turn it off anymore and is forced to listen to the thoughts of everyone around him. He's gone crazy from it actually." I arched an eyebrow slightly, more than willing to learn about the patterns of Geass evolution.

"I noticed he has the symbol in both eyes, and I only have it in one yet I can't turn it off… Can you tell me anything about that." Mao managed to push himself into an upright posture and gawk at CC. It didn't appear as if I would get my answer for the mood was entirely killed once he screamed.

"CC! It's been so long! You even kept your hair the same! I always liked it like that! Oh I'm so happy to see you!" Just as he finished his exclamations he literally glomped CC into a massive hug, completely forgetting about the damage done to his dangly bits.

Once again I face palmed.

"Is it safe for me to leave you two to talk in private, because I'd really rather be doing anything else right-" A light wave of dizziness overtook me and I immediately assumed it was from my lack of sleep. "R-right now." I leaned up against the wall heavily after barely finishing my sentence.

"I'll handle him, contact me in a little while once I'm done disposing of him" An alarm bell immediately went off in my head the moment she said the words 'disposing of him' I perceived him as far too useful to simply be swept away despite how much of a nuisance he appeared to be.

"No! Don't do that, he and I are in the process of negotiating an agreement." While drowning Mao out she arched an eyebrow and questioned.

"And what exactly would that be?" I averted my eyes and answered with.

"That he will work for me if I provide safety to both you and him… And he has some sort of obsession with you that he hopes he can quell by living with you." It took several seconds for her to respond, it had grown quiet, even Mao had shut up to hear her response. Her response would more than likely dictate my ability to form a partnership with the aggravating mind reader.

…

"Like I said I'll deal with it." She finally said, but for once without her air of stoicism.

_Good, at least she didn't say she was going to try and kill him this time. If I'm lucky she will at least put up with him… But honestly if CC had to ditch him that I can guarantee there's something wrong with him that either she couldn't stand were simply didn't want to deal with…. Or perhaps she was simply running away from something._

Realizing that Mao would pick up on my thoughts eyed him warily for another one of his outbursts but instead of seeing him bouncing off the walls with some absurd concept in his head he appeared pensive as if anticipating the answer to a long-awaited question. I nodded once to both of them and turned slightly.

"All right then, I'll be back later." I couldn't help but feel a measure of worry towards the immortal woman. Perhaps she felt that this man was dangerous to her in some way? But then again, she was physically incapable of remaining dead for an extended period of time so what was the worst that could happen.

I toyed with similar thoughts as I made my way to the roof of the building knowing that I wouldn't be disturbed. Once I had made it to the roof I inhaled the fresh air deeply and attempted to calm myself from the already overwhelming experiences of my day.

_I haven't even been awake for two hours and already I feel like I need a break._ However a break of any kind would be a long time coming considering my fear of going back to sleep and re-experiencing hell whilst I rest.

I reached into my lower pocket and removed my cell phone, idly scrolling down to Kallen's number I clicked the call button and waited for a few dial tones until she finally picked up.

"Yes?" She answered quickly.

"How did it go?" I asked as I vividly imagined of the worst-case scenarios, considering that she had picked up the phone most of them were now a moot point.

"It went mostly as planned; most of the Intel we gathered is relevant to any sort of infiltration we're interested in, however most of that I can tell you over the phone." I made a light noise as a confirmation for her to continue.

"By far the most unusual thing we noticed was that the people working there didn't seem to be worried about being discovered, in fact it didn't seem like any sort of hush-hush operation at all. On top of that we noticed a few Britannians walking about the warehouse as well. We suspect that-"

"The police and or nobility are in on the operation." I interjected.

"Exactly…" She paused briefly and I assumed it was to gather her thoughts. "There are very few entrances that are visible, there's a personnel entrance at the very front next to a large rollup gate just like the one at our warehouse. But after a little walking around we found that there's actually a loading area for trucks towards the back."

"Did you take any pictures or something of the like?" I asked thoughtfully.

"We have some, but it was too dark to risk using a flash so all the images are low-quality."

"That's not a problem. Make sure someone has all of the Intel waiting for me at HQ today and I'll compose a plan of attack… If that's what we decide on doing."

"As long as you don't plan on doing it by yourself like you're so fond of everything should be all right." I fiddled with the contents of my pockets in mild frustration as she said this.

"Look, I know you don't want to consider that an option… But you can't just count it out simply due to the fact that it's more dangerous. The fact is I am incredibly efficient working by myself due to my extra abilities-"

"But your extra abilities won't stop a bullet!" She fired back with.

I briefly imagined my attempts to stop a round with my telekinetic abilities but quickly concluded that if I ever tried it would probably end up in failure or at the very least have some serious negative side effects.

"That has yet to be determined honestly. We'll talk more later, bye." I hung up abruptly leaving her with no time to formulate a rebuttal. I returned my phone to its designated pocket and fished out a pack of cigarettes and quickly lit one. After taking a quick drag I leaned over the side of the building and began contemplating what I could with the information I had.

_If I could get a hold of the people responsible for organizing and running this drug cartel and could siphon them for money… No, their money comes from the Japanese people… Not an option. If I do receive any sort of funding from this operation is going to have to go directly back to where it came from. _

Taking a second drag I listed another idea.

_If the police are involved illegitimately then it's more than likely they're providing some form of protection. If that's the case then I'm going to have to have them neutralized or removed from the scene beforehand. _

I clenched my fist absentmindedly.

_I could have Mao come with me to help fish out persons of interest… But it might be too soon to ask anything of him, not to mention that he seems mentally unstable. I plan on using him in any way I'm going to have to find a way, scratch that, and effective way of keeping him in line._

I idly watched a few students walk towards the main campus as I flicked an ember towards the ground below.

_Once again there's always the option of just blowing the place up, but as far as publicity goes that would look really bad for our image. Yeah, join the Seekers! You can blow shit up! That would make a great slogan… Logically speaking the best thing I could do is breach and clear the building, remove all those who resist and relieve them of their merchandise. _

A light smile came to my lips as I entertain a mildly humorous idea.

_If I can find some way to transport the product, I could always bring it straight up to the Viceroy's palace and drop it off leaving a note saying something like. "Gimme your paycheck, because I just did your job." It would be nice… But unrealistic. Then again I can't pass off the opportunity to interact with the Viceroy. Using this operation as a bridge to open up communications could get me within Geass range if Euphemia._

My light smile turned nearly sadistic as my mind began running scenarios in the background.

_There's also a possibility that the Britannians will attempt to actually do their damn job and clean us up in the process… If this happens were going to need heavy hardware. Once again, a problem that could be easily solved if I get within range of Euphemia._

The situation was poisonous. It seemed to be a self-defeating cycle, I needed materials in order to gain materials, I need publicity in order to gain more publicity…

_I'm going to have to find some way to alter the status quo in my favor without anyone stopping me. Once again the Britannians have everything I could possibly need… It's just a matter of getting them to hand it over to me, but the solution eludes me. my previous tactics won't work anymore. I can nearly guarantee that the Palace is locked up tighter than a virgin's ass hole. _

I chuckled lightly at my own crude analogy.

_If I want to Geass Euphemia I'm going to have to get her somewhere outside of her hoity-toity high ground. She seems willing to negotiate so I'll just have to use that to my advantage._

I flicked the burned-out cigarette towards the ground below and watched it fall until it hit the ground. I was at a loss of what to do with my current free time.

Thinking about the same thing only ran me in circles. CC had told me to wait until later today in order to talk to her and I had said the same thing to Kallen.

Reaching towards my telekinetic ability I decided to test its extent along the lines of length and durability. Extending the awkward feeling tendril of energy I reach towards the doorknob of the only door back down to the student Council building. After a fair amount of strain I realized the power wasn't extending any further. Slowly walking forward and bringing the energy with me I determined that the power wouldn't extend much further than 8 feet.

_Weird… Perhaps it's due to my limited skill. Or perhaps or some other sort of limitation I don't know about. _

I tried several more times varying the path the energy I reached with. However none of my attempts produced any different results. Concluding that my current limitation would be stuck at 8 feet for now I decided to move on to the durability test.

Standing towards the edge of the building once more I gathered the power alongside my hand and formed a flat blade, leaving it un sharpened I raised my arm and brought it down onto the concrete of the building. The following CLACK! Was high-pitched and echoed loudly throughout the area. It reminded me of a sound similar to striking concrete with a hammer. I repeated the action resulting in a near identical product. After leaving no identifiable marks on the concrete I determined that although the power strong enough to resist breaking it had no visible ability to damage something as strong as concrete.

With a bit of creativity I added a sharpened edge to the downward facing side of the blade and raised my arm once more. Striking downwards with as much force as I was capable mustering I finally produced a visible result. A small piece of the concrete chipped and flew back striking me on the cheek. It stung greatly but was no larger than a penny.

_Hmm… It seems like it's going to act just like a chisel, not capable of slicing clean through but more than able to wear it down… But at what cost._

I retracted the power allowing it to dissipate back to whence it came and prepared myself for the agonizing headache that I was sure would follow.

I wasn't disappointed.

Several sharp stabs invaded my mind but soon dulled into a consistent throbbing mass. And because of this I found myself in a sitting position on the cold roof next to the edge where I had conducted my experiment.

_Ow… Note to self: Do not under any circumstances attempt to cut through metal with this damnable power._

After several minutes of waiting for the pain to recede I noticed something that alarmed me.

I felt much more mentally astute before and after I used the power. However when I was in the process of manipulating the energy whether it be forceful or otherwise it seemed to me as if my thoughts were dulled, if not outright dampened.

_I noticed this before but it seems the greater the force applied the greater the mental capacity it drains… Temporarily at least. Which means using this power in a tactical situation could deprive me of the proper decision-making skills I'll need to survive…. Fucking perfect. So far the only practical application I see for this damn thing is opening pickle jars and removing staples._

"Or lighting yourself on fire…" Interjected a deep voice from beside me; I flinched heavily, more than thoroughly startled for once. After taking a brief moment to calm down I noticed Gray Jack had somehow graced me with his presence without alerting me for once.

"Sup." I greeted simply once I had regained my senses.

"Nothing really, I just noticed you were practicing all by yourself up here and figured you could use some company." I arched an eyebrow suspiciously at his answer.

"It'll be a cold day in hell before you come to me just because you wanna hang out." His ever present and unearthly smile widened slightly.

"I can't tell who you're trying to insult yourself, or me?"

"Just you." I said stoically as I began to light another cigarette.

"That's a terrible habit you know…" He stated, although he did sound rather detached.

"So I've been told." I heard the beast chuckle lightly in amusement.

"Ahh yes, the incident with the redhead. To be honest with you I'm surprised you didn't go off on her. Had it been anyone else I can nearly guarantee that's exactly what you would've done."

"So I go easy on her, what of it?" I questioned while trying not to sound defensive.

"Go easy on her! Ha! Your borderline hyper protective! I'm surprised you haven't looked her in a cage somewhere while spouting some bullshit about it being for her own good!"

It was incredibly difficult to come up with a comeback considering that the being pestering me was privy to my thoughts and feelings. So instead I became angry.

"Yeah so what? I give half a damn about someone other than myself! That's not something you would understand!" There was a short silence, during which I looked at Jack quizzically only to find him staring off stoically until he finally replied with.

"This is true…" In all honesty I had never intended to actually hurt his feelings. Although the relationship was incredibly complicated and possibly one-sided I did feel a sort of awkward attachment to him. He was one of the few consistencies in my life other than my lack of memories… Which ironically enough he declared himself the cause of.

"I didn't mean it like that… I mean… Sorry. After last night I'm not feeling myself… You know what I mean?"

"More than you'll ever know. Speaking of last night; Number one: You honestly shouldn't of pissed that bitch off. Good luck trying to catch any type of legitimate sleep from now on. Number two: About this Mao character…"

"I'm sure you've already seen that he can't detect you. Although I'm not sure how long I can keep you a secret considering he plans on hanging around both CC and I. And seeing as both she and I have dealt with you and will continue to do so. It's only a matter of time until he stumbles upon you one way or the other."

He nodded in agreement while crossing his freakishly long arms.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But until then I'm sure you have some questions for me."

"It's like you read my mind." I joked lightly.

I struggled to find a starting point for my inquiries and after several moments settled on one.

"Explain to me how my power works in greater detail."

"That wasn't a question, but I'll give the information regardless. Basically you are manipulating an incredibly small form of matter using the physical and nonphysical energy in your body combined. AKA your stamina and your will."

I nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"I'm sure you've noticed the headaches and possibly other physical pains you've received from just about any type of usage. This would be a direct result of what I like to call material overload."

I scrunched my brows together struggling to understand the concept he had just dropped on me.

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. Basically, imagine the power as water. The water is extracted from your body and used to affect the world around you. Now let's assume for a brief moment that you have two types of water at your disposal from within your internal reservoirs."

I nodded in understanding so far.

"Your physical reservoir is basically what provides the physical force of your ability and is consumed according to how much you use it. However the mental reservoir you deploy from is not consumed and simply makes up the area that the physical reservoir can occupy."

"This still doesn't explain the headaches."

"I'm getting there." He grumbled. "Your mental reservoir is refilled when you dissipate your ability but on the inside of your reservoir in the pressure has changed and the quick return of the water causes a stretching to occur… Which overall, is the cause of your headaches."

I sat there momentarily. Going over his words over and over until I believed I fully understood what he had described.

"So what you're saying is once I deploy the power wherever it comes from shrinks like a balloon… And when I dissipate my ability it all rushes back… Rather forcefully…"

"Good, it seems we've reached some sort of understanding for once. Just keep in mind that the more you stretch your balloon… As odd as that sounds… The easier it will be in the long run. Because as previously stated, your power is just like a muscle in more ways than one. You have to train it in endurance and power as well as maintain it… Also it helps if you don't over exert it."

"Duly noted." I said simply as I found myself lost in thought.

"Anything else?" He asked lightly.

I sifted through my options for brief moment and settled on another question.

"What's the deal with this angel person?" I forwarded bluntly.

Jack shifted one of his hands and rubbed his nonexistent chin while grunting long and heavily.

"It's complicated, but the best way for me to impart information upon you about it is to simply say that she is sort of like the recon party… She's here for me and you are just an instrument. A bridge to close the gap… So to speak."

I was about to inquire further but Jack cut me off.

"And that's all I'm going to tell you about that… For now." I quickly shuffled myself into a standing position and assumed a threatening posture.

"I'm sick and tired of having information withheld from me simply because people are too busy covering up their own secrets pertaining to something I shouldn't have to be a part of!" I said while struggling to keep my voice down.

"But you are a part of it and there's nothing you can do about it. So your best bet is to sit back and let things happen."

"And if I refuse?" I said threateningly causing his eyes to narrow.

"Then you're in for a world of hurt, worse than the one you just experienced." I tried, but I couldn't stop my imagination from formulating something worse than hell itself… The results weren't pretty.

I stomped over towards the end of the building and kicked the retaining wall in frustration.

"If you need help with something simply ask! Don't run around in circles having me do things indirectly!"

There was a long pause in the conversation. Neither of us said anything for several minutes.

"CC and Mao are coming up to the roof; you need to get out of here." Where the words he used to break the silence.

Turning back to him quickly I couldn't help but question.

"Why?" Jack face palmed and walked towards me slowly.

"Because she asked you to come back later and those two are coming up here in order to talk. You being here might complicate things." He said as he grabbed me by the back of my jacket causing me to give him a questioning glare.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously while in elongating my words.

"Reuniting you with your worst enemy… Gravity." He said darkly just before he gave me a halfhearted toss over the edge of the building.

My world inverted several times in a fantastic display of blue green and gray as I began panicking loudly, but not before I managed to give him one last parting insult.

"Fuuuuck Yoooou! OMPHH!" My descent was halted quickly, but rather gently, by a mass of foliage.

Branches and leaves invaded my vision, and after brief moment of feeling it I was sure a branch had somehow found its way into my pants.

"Son of a bitch you knew there was a bush down here! I thought you were trying to kill me!" I yelled aimlessly as I struggled to crawl out of the overgrown plant. After several seconds of violent tossing and turning coupled with various profanities I managed to extract myself from the object that had broken my fall.

Looking upwards I found myself met with the faces of five or six fellow students. All of which were left wide-eyed and slack-jawed by the display before them. I coughed lightly in embarrassment causing a flurry of leaves to fall out of my hair and out of my jacket.

"Nothing to see here…" _Except a guy falling 2 ½ stories down nearly killing himself…_

I walked away quickly while shaking myself off and ignoring their questions for my well-being.

"Bastard could've just teleported me or something. "I grumbled under my breath as I directed myself towards the east entrance.

I decided that I might as well head over to headquarters to go over the information my team had gathered and maybe get a bit of knightmare practice in as well.

As I made my way towards the exit I casually viewed the throng of students socializing amongst various groups. It was peaceful for the most part save for the random bouts of laughter or the occasional playful complaint. While keeping my distance from the others is much as possible I happened to see Nina talking to three boys that were standing in a staggered formation. Two of them were blonde and one a brunette, their physical stature was roughly equivalent to someone who was used to physical activity, but not of the strenuous nature

At first I paid this no mind, however after giving it a second glance I noticed Nina was attempting to reach for something that the boy in the center was withholding from her.

And it was obvious she wasn't happy.

After deducting that something was amiss I angled myself towards her and picked up the pace.

"Give it back…" Nina feebly demanded causing the three boys to laugh at her. The boy in the center simply held up what I determined to be a laptop even higher.

"Not a chance, we can't exactly have a terrorist lover in our school! Just do us a favor and get out."

I stopped just behind Nina and glared at the three young men.

"Is something wrong here?" I asked coolly, my eyes never leaving the center man.

"Yeah!" Shouted the blonde on the left. "We got this little bitch here writing about how she approves of the terrorists!" I paused for a moment and crossed my arms.

"Which ones?" I asked flatly shifting my angry gaze to the one who had spoken up.

"That Cypher guy!" He answered that the same volume.

I took three steps and stood in front of Nina and shifted into the best intimidating posture I could manage.

"I fail to see how this is a problem, everyone has their ideals-"

"That doesn't matter, he's still a terrorist!" He cut me off with.

"And that gives you the right to take her things." The center boy took a step forward and got right in my face.

"She doesn't even deserve to be here thinking things like that! In case you've forgotten we're Britannians, anyone who thinks better of anyone else is trash!"

I can honestly say had he not gotten in my face and yelled at me the next course of action wouldn't have been necessary… At least not so soon.

Deciding to subtly put my new power through another field test I formed a casing around my closed fist and brought my arm upwards in a fierce uppercut that connected squarely with his throat.

"Gahh!" A satisfying sputtering came from the boy as he collapsed on the ground dropping the computer safely onto the grass in order to clutch his throat.

_It seems I'm feeling mighty confrontational today…_

I thought amusedly as the other two began to come at me. Hiking up my left foot I formed another telekinetic barrier around and planted it firmly into the sternum of the guy on the left. For brief moment I could've sworn I heard a cracking noise as he was force into a similar position as the first young man.

The third boy however, I was unable to block successfully and he landed a perfect punch on the right side of my jaw. Instead of reacting with some sort of counterattack I simply stood there as motionless as possible as he continued to apply force throughout the punch. When he had finished I kept my gaze towards the ground only to slowly look upwards at him.

"Is that all you got?" I questioned menacingly as I took a step towards him.

Either due to the ineffectiveness of his punch or the fate his buddies had suffered he decided it was a better idea to back down by turning tail and running. As soon as I had determined the threat was over I reached down and picked up Nina's computer while disabling the enhancements to my fist and foot.

"This belongs to you I believe. You might want to go see Milly after this, if only to keep bastards like these guys off you." I said kindly as I returned her computer, barely able to keep the grimace off my face due to the mental pain I had inflicted upon myself.

Taking her awestruck expression as an excuse to leave I sidestepped past her and continued on my way.

_Damn that punch hurt a lot more than I thought; apparently I just had some sort of delayed reaction with the pain. _I thought morbidly as I rubbed the side of my face.

Maybe next time I wouldn't be so forgiving…

***Seekers Headquarters***

After arriving at headquarters I noticed there were new keypads installed on all of the doors. I began panicking as a realized I had no idea what the code was. However after a quick inspection I noticed the manual locks were still there as well which although out of date suited my needs perfectly as I only had an actual old-fashioned key at my disposal.

Another thing I noticed once I entered was the fact that almost everything that had been inside such as trash, scrap metal, pipes, and bits of old machinery had been cleared out and disposed of in parts unknown.

I could hear the distinct sound of hammering echoing throughout the large building and due to its lack of apparel inside it was easy to find the source.

I spotted Ohgi and the man I remembered as Yuki working on a doorway leading to the stairs that led to the lower levels of the building. Walking over to them I greeted them casually and asked them what they were doing.

"I'm sure you've noticed the keypads outside, we haven't put a passcode on them yet but were setting up the rest of the doors in this place just the same." Oghi explained as Yuki struggled to lift a heavy reinforced looking door from the ground. Shuffling over quickly I caught the other side of it and helped him heave it upwards.

_Christ this thing is heavy! _I thought as I helped lift the solid steel door upwards and into its position on the hinges.

Oghi picked up an electric drill and began attaching several screws on the inside of the doorframe to secure it properly.

After what I counted to be 32 screws he was done.

"There, much better." He said proudly as he tested the doors smoothness of operating.

"How solid is it?" I asked, genuinely interested.

"Well, unless you have a knightmare or some explosives you won't be getting through without the code."

"And what is the code right now?"

"Until we set them they're all just six zeros."

"All right good, now that that's done tell me about the warehouse you guys inspected." I said deciding it was time to get down to business.

"Right!" He said as he led me towards one of the corners of our warehouse over to a computer sitting on a wooden foldout table.

"These are the images we managed to take, but due to the fact we couldn't use a flash we couldn't get a whole lot of details at night." He explained as he pushed the computer towards me allowing me to cycle through the images.

As I did this I continued to question further into the details.

"Give me an estimate on how many people are in the warehouse while it's operational."

"I'd say no more than 30 or so give or take…" I nodded and stopped to inspect a picture that viewed through a window and into the warehouse in detail.

There were several long tables set up with a menagerie of crates that were generically marked. In the midst of the picture there was a man lifting an individual tan sack off the top of the crate revealing dozens of stacked boxes presumably holding refrain.

From the looks of it Oghi had gotten his numbers estimate from the photos, or at the very least the photos closely mirrored all that he had seen himself.

After over viewing the photos for a while longer I came to a decision.

"Honestly the best way I see we can handle this is to simply have a knightmare plow through the steel gate and allow us to remove the workers by force… Not the most subtle or elegant thing we could do, but if we go through the ordinary doors one at a time we would probably just get pinned down. I can almost guarantee you that these men are armed in some way shape or form."

"Ohgi! We're going to need about 15 or 20 people including Kallen and her knightmare! Get them in here as soon as possible and we'll get loaded up."

"Sir!"

"Yuki, power up one of theKnightmares for me… In the meantime I'm going to get some practice in."

Yuki nodded and ran off just as Oghi had to accomplish their assigned tasks.

_I need to get combat ready in a knightmare as soon as possible… But for now I'll do this on foot, even if it might get messy._

_***_**To be continued. *****


End file.
